Kristoff GC Signature Series
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012I picked up a few cigars at the La Habana Cigar Club the other week. Included was the cigar up for review today. Cigar Aficionado rated this a 91! No, I don’t care either, and I don’t even know what that means. As you would expect, I have no information or story on the GC Signature Series. As always, I paired with fine Florida tap water (filtered), and got a pen and paper.
Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Cuban Seed Honduran
Filler: Cuban Seed Dominican, Honduran, Nicaragua
Size: 6 x 60
Price: Around $9.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The wrapper was very oily, and it glistened as if it were wet. It was seamless looking, and had small to medium sized veins. The smell of the wrapper reminded me of a chocolate candy bar. Since the wrapper overlaps the foot, obviously it was the same. The draw had resistance, but fell within my tolerance. The pre-light draw was dark coffee, mixed with earthiness.
The burn required three minor corrections, and ash held for about 1.5 inches.
Flavor:
The first third started out earthy, and it took some time for the flavor profile to develop. Coffee slowly ramped up, along with an easy, sweet, peppery spice. As I moved out of this third, wispy notes of cedar appeared. The smoke feel was dry, but it didn’t leave me with cotton mouth.
The second third kept my attention. The dominant flavor rotated, which kept things interesting. Mocha, earthiness, coffee, cedar, and spicy pepper. Each had their turn at the front of the line. At times, it was an even mixture of everything. The smoke feel became crisp, with a sweet spicy tingle.
The cedar from before changed in the last third. I can’t describe what kind of wood it reminded me of, since my palate wasn’t up to the task. The changing flavor profile went away. A spicy, sweet pepper stood out over the woody flavor. Coffee was up next, but it faded into the background. The smoke feel remained dry and crisp, but didn’t leave me parched.
Conclusion:
This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. From beginning to end, the changing flavor profile held my interest. I think it is worth the asking price as well. In the end, I can’t think of anything bad to say. I will revisit the Kristoff GC Signature Series again.
