Cigar:            Maria Mancini Robusto Larga

Size:             50 x 6.0"

Wrapper:          H2000, EMS

Binder:           Hon

Filler:           Hon

Flavor Body:      Med-Full

Stength:          Mild

Origin:           Hon

Suspected Age:    18 Months

Vendor/Price:     Gifted by Andrew Pierce (Caffeine) ASC

Beverage(s):      Water

Smoke time:       1:10

Date:             2004-07-09

Posted to ASC:    2004-07-13

Ambience:   Smoked in Omaha, NE on the bank of the Missouri river under the Ak Sar Ben Bridge ("Nebraska" spelled backwards - http://www.aksarben.org/knights/history.htm), aka the Dodge Street Bridge to Iowa.  The other bank of the river WAS Iowa.  Cliff swallows had nested under the bridge pylon.  The river was reddish-brown soup with floating trees and branches.  It has been raining a lot this summer and the river looks it.  Temperature was about 85F and relative humidity was the same.  I had jumped the fence off the riverwalk and was sitting on a leve of sorts.  Some punk kids eventually followed me over the fence and were throwing rocks at the Swallow nests.  They were empty, the birds have already bred this summer.  Ed joined me after a inch of the cigar.  A tatted, dude with missing teeth also jumped the fence, we chatted a bit and he walked on down the bank.  Later he returned and asked me what I knew about butane lighters.  He had a double torch he couldn't fill with the butane refill.  I looked at it and could see that the valve was off center and needed a bit of finesse to get the filler tube over the inlet tube.  I got it filled for him.  Eventually, he lit a cigarette and moved along.  The Riverwalk Jazzfest was setting up for the opening in the evening and we were ocasionally treated to sound checks by the Robert Cray band. 

Construction:     Light box press with double cap.  Fine oily wrapper.  Light pleasant aroma - can an aroma be creamy?  It seemed so.  Loose band. 

Prelight:   Cut well.  Sweet unlit flavor.  Hard draw.

First third:      Sweet.  Green almond Honduran flavor.  Bit of pepper on the palate.  Very hard draw with very little smoke.  Seems very wet.  Painful draw.  Massaged the stick with no crackling.  Wrapper is very pliable.  Jagged burn.

Second third:     Ashed at 3".  More smoke as the stick warmed and dried.  Clearly the wrapper was having trouble burning.  A bit more spice.

Third third:      More smoke, more flavor.  Bit of pepper spice at the end.  Nubbed until fingers burnt. 

Overall:    The first two thirds were a painful experience of hard draw little smoke and jagged burn.  The third third was wonderful.  Is the poor burn of the wrapper a characteristic of the H2000?