Had the pleasure of meeting one of the guys behind Emperor’s Cut Cigars a couple times here in Atlanta, and each time resulted in a much-appreciated gift! BOTL extraordinaire James “Oasis” Handy already had me curious about this blend, but paired with the tale of how they began – while holding this beautifully wrapped, perfectly shaped vitola in hand – sold the deal. I just love it when genuine passion and hard work manifest themselves into an equally impressive product. Congrats to the folks over there; you should be very proud.
Natural Pleasures Toro (6.5×52)
WRAPPER: Nicaraguan
BINDER: Ecuadorian
FILLER: Nicaraguan
BODY: Medium with a solid draw and silky mouthfeel
STRENGTH: Medium-full, but with a moderate retro burn that is understated and overall inoffensive
FLAVOR: Medium with nice, round flavors that are somewhat subdued including subtle nuttiness, cream, and cocoa that morphed into rich, brownie-like semi-dark chocolate when paired with coffee and almond milk or cream stout. A hint more peppery spice on my second journey.
NOSE: Faint musk (wrapper), minerality, and cocoa (cap)
COLD DRAW: Woody, woodsy and powdered cocoa-y
TOAST: Toasted tobacco softens to melted butter
FIRST LIGHT: Something intriguing, yet fleeting. A floral note? Some hay or grass?
THE JOURNEY: I could guess from the cut alone that this densely packed stogie was gonna lend a slow burn with a smooth draw. I was so right. The vitola was perfect for what I wanted: a long burn that I could enjoy both actively and passively as I multi-tasked, in a ring gauge that wasn’t going to put me out. This beauty held its ash like a dream. Had to give her several aggressive taps to ash it (both times) – which I only insisted upon because I have been making quite the mess of myself lately, and I wanted to lounge on the couch without worrying about it.
What stood out most was that despite my notoriously quick smoking habits, this beauty burned nice and slowly (90-100 minutes). Had it been a corona, it wouldn’t pass medium in strength, but as time passed the buzz game got really real. I had to tap out a quarter way through the final third the second time, as it was my first smoke of the day and I wasn’t ready. LOL.
