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Old 07-18-2018, 11:19 AM   #1
bsslack
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: A Lone Star State
Posts: 7,412
Kauai Cigar Co. Hawaiian Vintage Churchill Waimea!

Cigar: Hawaiian Vintage Series Waimea Churchill

Size: Guestimate 7 X 57 A big fella for sure.

Composition: Unknown and unspecified even on Kauai Cigars website.

Pairing: Cola and later water.

Kinda long, but there it is.

Today I'm having my third Cigar with my Father. I find it interesting and very calming. Plus, I learn something new every time I go. (you'll see) so, on to the Cigar. I started to say that I know nothing about Kaui cigars, but I realized that I actually did have several of their cigars before. A friend went to the Islands and specifically Kauai and he brought me two 5 count samplers of the Island Prince line, one box Habano and one box Maduro. They were mild but well constructed with a unique flavor profile. KCC offers up to 7 blends, but not all at the same time. So, this cigar is from XRUNDOG (Tim) and it held quite the surprise for me.

Pre-Light: Well, first off the wrapper has a number of splits and breaks in it, but it otherwise seems a solid cigar. It's heavy in the hand and well filled with no soft spots or lumps. The Wrapper seems quite thin and delicate. There is also a bit of damage to the foot, that I attribute to being in the top shelf of my cooler getting rolled around. It also may be why it's Wrapper took a beating as well. When I clip the head it does so cleanly and reveals dark swirls of tobacco within. The draw is snug but workable and a nice cedar smell emanating from both Wrapper and Foot.

Ignition: I spark up the torch and begin. I have to work a bit to get this generously proportioned girl up to speed. The first real flavor is tea of all things. The tannins are very high at the start and it has a Cameroon flavor. I'm not really a huge Cammie fan, a little bit goes a long way with me. Still under an inch in and it's still not up to temp yet. The Wrapper is doing OK so far, but I cannot imagine it will survive for too long.

The Body: Roughly one inch in and It's up to temp and burning slow but straight. There is now a more floral herbal note replacing the tea and that's good. I cannot forget the flaking Wrapper for long, it just keeps bugging me. The odd thing is that there are complete breaks in the Wrapper and instead of a rough Binder showing through it seems really smooth almost like another Wrapper is there. Yes, I know I'm crazy, but there it is.

A little further in and I throw caution to the wind and remove the Band. I know that it may spell the end of the wrapper, but it was so loose it was nearly ready to fall off on it's own. So, guess what? A great big nothing happens. So, I settle in at the Cemetery. That's a bit of an odd statement, allow me to rephrase. I found a shady tree not far from my Family's plot. It has enough room for all of our immediate Family 10 plots, I think. This is in the "Old Cemetery" there are three more nearby in town. When I left in 1980 there was only the one. That's Progress for ya. It's 97 degrees today, but they are sprinkling so it's maybe 10 to 15 degrees cooler.

I'm easing into the cigar. The flavor is increasing very gradually. It finally adds a touch of spice in the back of the mouth. The herbal note is now more like a bittersweet cocoa, still very light, but much improved from the green tea start.
I am looking around the park and realize something quite surprising. My long time babysitter and her husband are buried just a few plots away from ours. Birdie Gammage was like a 3rd Grandmother to Joel and I. The very first time she ever watched us was when we were only 16 months old. The reason was Our Father's Funeral. I have dozens of memories of Her from my early childhood and into our tweens. But, no actual memories of my Father and yet they both rest in the same neighboring soil. She was born in 19 aught 3 and past in 1994. That's a good run. Godspeed Birdie. Further, in the irony department, my Father's High School Girl Friend is buried three plots away from him. BTW, years later she would be the person whom introduces my Mother and Father to each other. So, Life and Death are truly stranger than fiction.

This cigar is beginning to grow on me. It's burning cool and straight with a gentle but quality flavor that slowly builds, like few cigars ever have for me.. The only detraction is that natty Wrapper eye-ballin me constantly and waving loosely in the breeze. This is a well made and solidly constructed cigar. (except for the elephant in the room) It's a shame that the Wrapper is so thin and fragile. I had no such issue with the Island Prince cigars they were solid all around, just milder than I generally like. I gave away about half of them and the feedback I got was good. Two inches in and the draw is getting tight. So, I give the head a slight trim and try a purge. ?Try? Yeah I lit a freakin blow torch in my car. I had to jump to prevent the melting of my steering wheel. Wow, that was a surprise.

So, a much improved draw and flavor wise it continues to improve. There's a Hawaiian word that describes this cigar perfectly right now. Momona, it means Sweet and Fat. It's used for describing many kinds of things, but it certainly fits here.

Well, I've finally had it with this Wrapper, it's been flaking off for nearly an hour now. so, I bite the bullet and take it all off, including the cap. It pulls away like it was not even attached.



This sounds crazy, but there's another Wrapper below the one I just removed! No Really! I do not ever recall seeing this before.

I'm completely serious. There is a totally different wrapper here including a wrapped cap. How bizarre is that? As I look at it, the top wrapper was super thin and delicate. This under Wrapper is more sturdy, but has a flat matte finish to it. Could it be, that they did not think the first one was pretty enough? Has anyone ever heard of this practice before? I took photos and will post them. That's just crazy to me.

So, well over halfway through and after all of the Wrapper drama the word of the day today is Mild and that's OK. It fits the setting well. The ash is bright white and will fall right off if not tapped on the Bobkin. It then collapses into powder on contact.

Conclusion: A very good cigar with, an accessible to all, flavor and unique Cracker Jack like qualities. (ie: a surprise inside) It continues like that til the mellow end, quite apropos, yes? An interesting cigar from a very different Island, that's Not South of Miami.




Post Script: Some will remember that 15 years ago I got razzed a bit because I would cut open cigars to inspect the insides and construction, out of curiosity. I had not done it in over a decade, but this one was really twisting my melon man! So, I opened the remains of this cigar and did indeed verify that this cigar had Two Wrappers, a Binder and solid Filler inside. Strange times for sure, in a $10 dollar cigar.

I have had 3 cigars, so far, here with My Father and each of them have been revealing in some way, with new or old revelations. I think I'll continue the practice. Who, knows it might someday be my turn to rest here. I might as well get to know the neighborhood in a positive way.


Cheers!
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LB...

Do not Hold Your Heart's True Words, until they can only fall upon the saddened ears and broken hearts, already filled with the loudness of grief. -unk

...Quick to Judgement...Quick to Anger and Slow To Understand... -Rush (it was true then and it's still applies today.)

Remember EVERY American Soldier Past and Present.-You -Me -Everybody

Last edited by bsslack; 07-18-2018 at 11:42 AM.
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