APRIL 24, 2022 - PHIL KURUT, COMEDY - CIGARS - MUSIC
STILLWELL STAR AROMATIC NO. 1 (6 x 52)
WRAPPER: ECUADORIAN HABANO
BINDER: MEXICAN SAN ANDRÉS
FILLER: NICARAGUA; PIPE TOBACCOS - BLACK CAVENDISH, GOLDEN VIRGINIA, BURLEY
Aromatic hits me with a deft combination of its cigar and pipe chops. Vanilla, sweet earth, bits of spice pour through, and as I smack my lips together, the sweetened cap influence takes over. Not in a bad way. It’s actually sugary sweet as opposed to the artificial sweetness I’ve found in most other sweetened caps. I also might note that the sweetened cap is not overbearing at all.
The retrohale brings raisin and prune, but not quite as bright as I typically get. Subtle. Smooth. Nice.
Aromatic’s sweetened cap influences the finish a bit more, adding an undeniable bit of sugar to the coffee and spice.
All of this brought to me by a perfect draw, followed up by an ample amount of smoke, which gets to work filling the room with wood, spice, and a lingering sweetness.
Vanilla, raisin, sweet tea, bread pudding, and cinnamon begin to provide excellent entertainment. All this goodness, and I’m not even at a Super Bowl party snack table.
The burn tends to tiptoe out of line a bit, but it’s not causing any problems. The ash? Speaks for itself.
Bread pudding continues to roll through, picking up some sweetened grains along the way. Some diligent work is going on in the kitchen, and they’re making me hungry. My inner fat kid chuckles to himself. Dark cherry wafts out of the kitchen window. Are they making a pie now? I’m never going to lose my winter weight.
Winter weight. That’s just a nice way of saying people are lazy when it’s cold.
Coffee and spice rest gently on the finish, adding a bit plum juice on my lips from time to time.
Cardamom begins to build a core through the draw, surrounded by an unwavering bread pudding. They’ve added more raisins and cinnamon to it, and it all seamlessly takes over the room note, accented by mixed nuts. My inner fat kid daydreams. Sweet bread and sweet tea flows through his nose, and his belly jiggles as he chuckles to himself.
Pushing through to the end, cardamom takes the lead, sharing space with dark earth, raisin, and sweet tea.
Aromatic drops some of that sweet tea through the retrohale. Heavy coffee grounds saturate the finish.
I might not be taking up pipes, but I will take another Aromatic, please.
SMOKE TIME: 1 hr. 53 mins.
RATING: 3.65 / 4 - My inner fat kid wants seconds.
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