Bahia Gold (Natural)
Friday, February 18th, 2011This cigar was gifted to me by Bonita Smoke Shop. They were kind enough to include it in a cigar bomb not too long ago. The Bahia Gold has an annual production of 273,600 cigars. After these cigars are rolled, they are aged for 12 months, and then they hit the shelves. As always, I paired this review with fine Florida tap water (PUR filtered of course).
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown Sumatra Seed
Binder: Dominican (Semilla Cubana)
Filler: Dominican Ligero, Seco and Viso (Semilla Cubana)
Size: Churchill 6 7/8 x 48
Price: $10.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The brown chocolate looking wrapper had virtually no flaws, just a few veins here and there. The scent coming off of the wrapper and foot was earthy. The cigar was evenly packed, and had a very slight sponginess when squeezed. The pre-light draw was good, with slight resistance. The pre-light draw had an earthy and woody flavor.
The burn required two minor corrections, and the ash held for just over an inch.
Flavor:
The first third had a dominant earthy flavor. After about an inch, I started picking up pepper when passing smoke through the sinus. Shortly after the pepper kicked in, there was a mixture of nuts and coffee. The smoke feel was dry but not unpleasant. It was OK, but seemed unrefined. The word “Scattered” comes to mind, if that makes sense.
The second third had a decrease in that dry smoke feel. I didn’t crave water as much. The pepper went down a notch in terms of strength, but it did keep a little punch. Some draws had a dominant earthy flavor, others were nutty, and every now and then it was sweet. Coffee notes were in there at times as well. At about the half way point, the smoke thickened up and became a lot smoother. The flavors melded together, and it was hard to distinguish and pick the flavors apart at this point. The aftertaste was sweet and coated the mouth and tongue. Things just came together, unlike in the first third.
The last third became creamy and sweet, almost chocolaty. The pepper became more of a sweet spice. The earthiness basically went away. The overall flavor profile became simpler, but seemed more satisfying. It was basically sweet chocolate, spice, and cream. There was something going on in the background, but I couldn’t pin it down.
Conclusion:
This was a good medium bodied cigar. The first third left me underwhelmed, but from the second third until the end, I enjoyed it. If I were to complain, I’d say the price is a little high. But price aside, this was pretty good. Thanks to Bonita Smoke Shop for giving me the chance to try this cigar!