Southern Draw Kudzu

[spiridon]

I was able to take a drive over to Biloxi, MS today and stop in at "The Cigar Shop". I love stopping in when I can, as they have one of the best cigar selections in the area.....and I love stopping in to visit with Roger! While there, Roger alerted me to the fact that they had the Southern Draw line of cigars, which I have been wanting to try for some time. I had about a 90-minute drive back home, so I went ahead and lit this beauty up.
Here is some info passed along by our own "Candidcigar" of CW in an earlier article...

"Southern Draw Cigars was started a little over a year ago in Austin, Texas by a group of cigar-loving U.S. Veterans. According to the website, the name Southern Draw is emblematic of the quintessential Southern gentleman, everything he represents, and a cigar that always has a perfect draw. The cigars are made by A.J. Fernandez in Esteli, Nicaragua"

The Kudzu is a box-pressed offering, the size in this case being a 6x52 Toro. The wrapper is aged Habano Oscuro (double fermented) which has a rich velvety feel to the touch. The binder and filler is Nicaraguan, finished with a closed foot. A gorgeous looking cigar IMO, with a nice solid feel. Clipping the cap with a V-cut, I took a brief nose and a cold draw. The draw was easy and the scent I picked up was a rich barnyard, earthy aroma.

Lighting up, I was greeted with a blast of black pepper, a rather heavy dose....which I happen to like. Underneath the pepper I detected an earthy sweetness which provided a great accompaniment to the pepper. there were also hints of espresso and dark bitter chocolate. The pepper started easing up after the first half inch or so while the coffee/espresso note remained constant. The strength of this cigar starts out on the high side of medium/full. The burn is fairly even, with just a a touch of waver which is quickly and easily corrected with my trusty torch.

There is a shift in profile as the cigar enters the 2nd third, with the earthiness and the scent of leather becoming predominant as the spice and pepper remain steady in the background. The smoke is thick and chewy, producing a rich heavy taste on the palate.

As the cigar burns into the final third, the cigar transitions once again with the strength ramping up a bit to become full strength and full bodied. The espresso and bitter chocolate remains steady while the pepper returns to a higher level and I swear I think I can taste some chocolate chip cookie dough!
I am enjoying this cigar so much that I make a point to slow down my road speed so I won't arrive at my destination before finishing my cigar.

I LOVED this cigar! Another great product from the AJF factory in Esteli.
The Kudzu was exactly what I like in a cigar, it was full of flavor, a full bodied, full strength cigar which is rich and complex enough to keep me tuned in and interested. I can't wait to try more of these to see if they are consistently this good, and if so, I will definitely be keeping these in stock.
I WANT to give this one 5 out of 5 stars, BUT because it did need correcting of the burn a few times I'll give it 4.9 stars out of 5!