Valdosta, GA – We managed to survive the night in the holler without being abducted. Well-rested and freshly showered, I shrugged into a T-shirt and donned a pair of shorts for the first time in five months. I felt good. After a passable continental breakfast (what makes it “continental” anyway?) we gassed-up the SUV, grabbed a couple of morning Diet Cokes for the road and set off. Up and over the beautiful Smokey Mountains, through Tennessee, then on into Georgia… And let me tell you, Georgia is one long state from top to bottom. The farther south we travelled the more lushes the foliage, and before long we spotted Spanish moss hanging from the trees; the sight of which to me is about as beautiful as fresh snowfall on evergreen trees up north. Soon we were noticing palm trees, and getting that happy-go-lucky, excited feeling you get at the start of a vacation.
After logging another eight uneventful hours we settled down for the night in Valdosta, GA; located off the Interstate just before you cross over into Florida. This seemed like a good place to stop, lots of motels and restaurants to choose from, and left us a manageable six-hour drive the next day. Unpacked, freshened-up, and sated with Buffalo wings and a few cold pops from an Applebee’s across the parking lot, we walked back to the motel room and sat outside, drinks in hand. It was another warm evening, palm fronds swaying in the tropical breeze. I decided tonight I would not be denied a cigar.
Again a bit tired and not wanting to invest more than an hour or so in a smoke, I perused my Armored Travel Humidor and plucked out a Tatuaje Havana VI. The 46-ring gauge and 5.62" length assured a manageable commitment. Purchased on a whim from a B&M back in my home state of Michigan, this corona rested in my humidor for several months. In spite of the variety of cigars the Cigar Scholar samples, I had yet to try the Tatuaje line; although I’m aware of the cult following surrounding this trendy Pete Johnson brand. This particular puro (all Nicaraguan tobaccos), created under the watchful eye of master blender Don Pepin Garcia, was solidly constructed with a dark and oily, sandpapery wrapper and a thin, subtle, blood-red band. I sliced the Cuban triple-cap using my Montecristo Signature Slimline Samurai Cutter*. Feet up, pump primed, I settled in and lit the fuse…
Ah sweet nectar…™! Initial puffs produced top notes of pepper and spice with silky earth undertones. I liked the flavor profile of this little cigar – robust without being harsh, and with a nice complexity. The cigar burned well, held a tight white ash, and maintained a medium-to-full bodied profile throughout. Perhaps some cocoa and graphite near the finish? In any event, this modest cigar packed a punch. Intrigued, I vowed to try more of these when I got home.
There I sat, under the swaying fronds of a palm tree, savoring the thick smoke and hearty finish of the Tatuaje Havana VI. A nice comfortable buzz settled over me; which if you are a cigar lover you will know what I’m talking about. Next to me sat my wife, pontificating about something-or-other and enjoying a glass of wine. And all was well with the world.
Grade: B
* The Xikar Xi remains my everyday go-to cutter. But when mobile I want a guillotine cutter with a slimmer profile. Part of a Montecristo gift pack for being a caller on the Cigar Dave Show, the Montecristo Samurai guillotine cutter is hand crafted of the finest Japanese steel, and will accommodate cigars up to a 60 ring gauge. It comes with a leather sheath, but without the sheath could probably fit into your wallet. You can find the cutters through various online merchants.
Great read, keep it coming! Continental breakfast stems from the fact that traditional English breakfasts were a heavier meal consisting of eggs,potatoes and what not. Where as on the Continent (read French) they ate lighter breakfasts of rolls and fruit,etc. Believe the reason to be their main meal of the day surronds lunch so they tended not to eat as much in the morning. By the way, it's like those French have a word for everything!
ReplyDelete"Perhaps some cocoa and graphite near the finish".....so tell me, what does graphite taste like?? Graphite is a polymorph of the element carbon. Diamond is another polymorph. The two share the same chemistry, carbon, but have very different structures and very different properties. Does it taste like a diamond?? Does the cigar taste like a diamond??
ReplyDeleteYou may recall as a kid, the predominant smell from the pencil sharpener or pencil shavings was cedar and lead (pencil lead being a mixture of graphite and clay). Pencil lead is a common descriptor for cigars - and sometimes wine too - and is merely an attempt to put a name on a taste.
ReplyDeleteYes, diamonds and graphite are both forms of the element carbon. However they are in fact allotropes: different pure forms of an element. Diamond atoms are arranged in a tetrahedral pattern; graphite atoms are arranged in sheets.
So in answer to your question, No, the cigar did not taste like a diamond. But thank you for your comments.
Um....are you going to continue this yarn?
ReplyDelete