Shuckins (aka Ron) at Puff.com sent me this little beauty and asked me to review it for him. After letting it rest for nearly a month (sorry, Ron), I finally took it out on the patio for a little quiet time.
From Sultan Cigars, the Ron Stacy Signature (Corona: 4.75" x 42) is a gorgeous little cigar. It's firmly packed and heavy, with a thick, dark, oily (oscuro?) wrapper and double cap. Seems a shame to hide so much of that beautiful wrapper under that huge band, but the band comes off easily and cleanly. It clipped neatly, and had a firm, nondescript unlit draw that left both salt and pepper on my lips. When toasted, it gave off a typical tobacco aroma with a suggestion of roasted coffee beans.
After lighting, the most notable tastes are black pepper and leather, with a woodsy undercurrent of something cedar-ish. Oak, perhaps. The finish is medium-long with a nutty, sweet twang in the aftertaste. Nothing unusual or extraordinary, but a cigar doesn't have to taste like Fruit Stripe gum for me to like it. The flavors were mostly consistent; there was a little more oak and a little less pepper in the second half. Thoroughly enjoyable, overall.
This is a crazy smooth blend of tobaccos. Usually I can feel it when I retrohale. A twinge, a slight burning... maybe my eyes water a little. Nothing like that with this one. After retrohaling a few times and feeling nothing I actually did a full-blown inhale just to see what it would be like. It was like air. I've never had a completely painless inhale before. Amazing.
It had a pale, gray ash that only flaked a little (a pet peeve - I hate getting ash on me), and it gave off a respectable amount of smoke, but the burn got quite uneven on a couple of occasions and actually went out on me twice. The above pic was taken after I'd clipped the end flush and re-lit it.
The ultra-smooth draw and the solid, if unremarkable, flavors made this one nub-worthy. The burn issues were the only thing that kept this from being a truly first-rate smoke. Thanks for letting me review this for you, Ron.
Appearance and Construction: 13/15
Flavor: 22/25
Smoking Characteristics: 21/25
Overall Impression: 32/35
Total: 88/100
