Cigar:            El Titan de Bronze No. 2 (Hemingway)

Size:             36-46 x 4"

Country:          USA, Miami, FL  http://www.eltitandebronze.com/

Wrapper:          Indonesia

Binder:           DR/Hon/Nic/Ec

Filler:           DR/Hon/Nic/Ec

Flavor Strength:  Medium

NicotineStength:  Medium

Date Received:    2005-08-17

Suspected Age:    4 months

Vendor/Price:     Gifted by GNBikes, ASC - Thanks Garry!

Beverage(s):      Water, Bridgeport IPA

Smoke time:       1:30

Date:             2005-10-29

Posted to ASC:    2005-10-29

Overall score:    3.3/5.0

Overall:    A very cute stick.  Starts a bit ragged in burn and flavor, then progresses from paper to wood to cedar in the first half.  A fruity aromatic enters and eventually takes over in the second half.  Smoke volume was low in the first half due the dense packing.  Burned slowly.  Very nice finish.  Despite its size, for me, this was not a short smoke :-)  Not a box purchase for me. 

Ambience:   Afternoon in the sun room working on my flying blog, getting the NOLA-Seattle trip chronicled.  Thunder rolling in and rain pelting the windows - another wonderful day in the GPNW.  The little woman is sewing in the livingroom listening to the University of Washington versu Arizona State football game. 

Appearance: Painfully cute.  It looks like a cartoon cigar, short, narrow at the head, then tapering to fat and pointy at the foot.  Dark heavily mottled wrapper with very small veins.  Very firm.  Simple band that slides off easily due to the tapered shape. 

Cut & Prelight:   Sweet aged hay/alfalfa aroma.  Cut well yielding a tight draw probably due to the closed foot. Somewhat musty draw flavor. 

First third:      First puffs peppery and funky and papery.  As the point is consumed and the burn front approaches the widest part of the cigar, the paperiness has turned to woodiness.  Burn is evening and smoke volume is increasing.  Some cedar is entering the woodiness.  Stoked it becomes sharp and bitter, sipped it is woody with some cedar. 

Second third:     Aftertaste remains woody and somewhat dry, not sweet.  Smoke volume increasing.  Some fruitiness has entered that lingers into the aftertaste.  Finely lined dense ash. 

Third third:      The fruity aromatic is increasing.  Cedar wood has moved mostly into the aftertaste.  Smoke volume up greatly, and it has attained full flavor status.  The fruity aromatic continues to increase.  Slight nicotine buzz evident.  I nubbed it.  Nice, long cedary finish.