This cigar was enjoyed with Water, cool and clean
Pre-Light: 18 Points of 10 Possible
The Nicaraguan Oscuro wrapper had a somewhat toothy, dry velvety sheen. When viewed up close, the little bumps typical of Oscuro were visible. One prominent vein was easily seen, and close inspection revealed a number of insignificant veins crisscrossing the wrapper. The cigar had a nice heft in the hand, and overall just looked good in a slightly rugged sort of way.
The pre-light aroma was of something like mulch that a wet dog slept in - not appetizing, but past experience with such aromas had me looking forward to the smoke. I chose to use the "3 matches" technique to light this cigar, so do not have a cold draw to comment on.
Lighting and Burn: 10 Points of 15 Possible
Using the "3 matches" technique to light this vitola was very easy. The small diameter foot took to the flame like a champ, lighting without puffing.
Perhaps it is time to trade in my old cutter, but after lighting the foot I attempted to clip the head - and the cap came off whole without cutting any of the tobacco. Surprised by this, I ventured a puff and got an acceptable draw. I decided to leave well enough alone. Amazingly, the wrapper never even hinted at coming loose or unraveling from the head.
The cigar produced large billows of white smoke with each puff. The ash was banded white and black, and initially did not flake. It dropped at about 1 inch, revealing a slightly off center cone. It then dropped at about every 1/2 - 3/4 inch thereafter. There was just a little flaking after it passed the half way point.
The burn kept a low-scalloped profile and went a little lopsided a couple times, but never required any fixes. At one point the cigar was left on the ashtray for a couple minutes. When picked up, it continued as though it had not been ignored at all. However, at about 2/3 the cigar mysteriously went out in spite of having been recently puffed. I knocked the loose ash off, put one match to it, gave it a little purge, and was quickly back in business.
This cigar was smoked slowly to savor the experience, so it lasted fully 1 hour and 45 minutes. At no time did the cigar get hot - that is, until I burned my fingers on the nub.
Construction: 20 Points of 30 Possible
The edges of the wrapper were noticeable and did not appear to cling as tightly to the cannon as with most other cigars. This may have been due to the small ring gauge. It did not interfere with the draw.
The cap appeared to be applied in two pieces with an initial ring around the end and a toupee to finish it. Again, the edges did not seem to adhere quite as cleanly as on most other vitolas.
The cannon was solid - even hard in places. Only two slightly soft spots were found, which is remarkable for such a thin cigar.
In spite of the strange guillotine experience (or perhaps because of it), the draw was exactly to my liking: just enough resistance, but with plenty of flow to bring large volumes of smoke through the long cannon. The head did not drop any tobacco in my mouth.
Flavor and Aroma: 32 Points of 45 Possible
1/3: The flavor began immediately with a blast of oscuro spice and dark dry chocolate. By 1/2 inch the flavor had morphed to sweet mocha coffee. It gave just a little pepper in the nose. The finish was very clean and did not leave much of an aftertaste. The aroma of the airborn smoke was a very nice mocha coffee - even the wife and kids thought it smelled really good.
2/3: The oscuro became more pronounced and took on a black pepper character, adding a little zest to the sweet mocha flavor. By 1/2 earth and a hint of leather was detected. Pepper in the nose also became more pronounced. The finish continued to be clean, but did leave some pepper and leather on the palate.
3/3: As the cigar smoked down, the sweet mocha slowly gave way to a light earthy flavor and leather. The finish continued to be quite clean, but I could detect a minty character in the aftertaste.
Nub: When the burn reached the label, there was no indecision to remove the paper and continue. I happily smoked the cigar to the nub. Through this portion of the cigar, it went through an intensified version of the entire panoply of flavors, and the minty character finally revealed itself clearly. At one point, where the large part of the label had been, a funky harsh taste came through, but a light purge fixed it.
Overall flavor: the smoke maintained a smooth feel throughout, even at the nub. The flavors were engaging, and changed enough to keep me interested. However, in spite of its generous amount of smoke and flavor, it did not seem to reach full-bodied status until well into the second half. This perception may have been due in part to the lack of finish. The minty aftertaste that began to linger in the final third was - for me at least - a distraction from the denser, more fulfilling flavors. The only nastiness was where the label had been, likely due to a bit of the label glue adhering to the wrapper.
Summary
The cigar was dry-boxed for one day prior to smoking, in an old single-stick coffin that I had laying around. The cigar was smoked in the controlled environment of my garage. Though I am not accustomed to smoking such a narrow gauge cigar, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience - save the need for one relight. I would have scored it higher if: the cap had not come off; it gave more of a finish; the relight had not been necessary. I did not penalize for the flavor issue under the label, as I believe that to be an "at your own risk" area anyway. I would love to try the NINE in a larger ring vitola.
By way of a little history on the NINE, it was introduced in 2009. The all-Nicaraguan tobacco blend is made at Plasencia's Segovia factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. The wrapper is oscuro, and the filler is all ligero leaves. It is said that the blend was created by Joe Torres of San Antonio. The story goes that the factory was encouraging visitors to "create a blend for fun." These blends went through a series of trials, and the best one got released for public consumption. Apparently Joe's blend was the ninth one created, and was chosen as best of the bunch.
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(7 Review(s))