CRW Review: 9/2010 Reynaldo Sublime

[dochowl]

It's been a hell of a week here in beautiful Southern California... after a summer that barely got above 70 degrees, we are coming off of a week in the 90s. Friday was a perfect high of 84 and all was looking good for the weekend. With that as the backdrop, I decided to take the afternoon and try something new. And so began a highlight 2+ hours in my smoking career...

The cigar was a Reynaldo Sublime, custom rolled back in early September. I have had the privilege of getting my hands on a number of Reynaldos over the last few months. Given their excellent track record, my expectations were high for this cigar. Honestly, the sublime is not typically my size. At 6.5 inches by a 52 or 54 ring, this thing was massive. I’m more accustomed to the coronas, lonsdales, and even panatellas as these have been my regulars over the last few years. Still, there was something about this cigar I couldn’t resist.

Pre-light

This sublime is simply stunning. The wrapper is a medium cocoa brown with some slight bumps and veins, yet nothing that detracts from the appearance. The wrapper seems delicate, almost like a rice paper that tears so easily. Even more, the wrapper feels like silk in my hand. Rolling the cigar gently between my fingers, there is a perfect spring to the tobacco. This cigar is heavy, but not overly filled. Even before lighting, this cigar is giving off a fantastic aroma, of slightly damp, earthy tobacco. Now ready to smoke, I cut the end with my $2.99 guillotine cutter and light up with my 99 cent store Bic (which I’ve been using for the last 8 or 10 years and it’s never let me down).

First third

The sublime starts of well. Nearly perfect draw, moderate resistance with loads of smoke. For the fist few minutes, I am reminded of so many Cohiba Robustos I’ve smoked in the past. Dry grass, hint of pepper. This passes quickly and the cigar takes a welcomed turn. Cream… loads of sweet cream as the insides of my mouth are coated with the delicious smoke. The pepper and grass are completely gone. There is a slight sweetness to the smoke as well as a delicateness that is difficult to describe. The sensation here would be akin to puff pastry or a perfectly made croissant. Throughout the first third, this would be just a bit over medium. Fanstastic. The solid white ash is holding tight with no intention of dropping.

Second third

There is still a predominance of cream as I hit the second third. In the background there is a subtle unsweetened cocoa flavor that is just trying to peak out. The cigar has mellowed to a solid medium and is really showing itself a winner. Everything about this cigar could be described as velvety, the wrapper, the smoke, the sensation as I’m smoking. Fantastic and exactly what I would have hoped for. Nearly an hour into this cigar, the ash finally decides to drop at just over 2 inches. I can relax not that I don’t have that ash hanging over my keyboard. As I progress through this second third, things start to change. The cream is starting to fade in favor of a damp leather taste with some spice that I am picking up as I blow the smoke out my nose. While still smoking as smooth as glass, the complexity of this cigar is really starting to step up. The cream continues to fade and is quickly replaced by some spice, like you would find in gingerbread or maybe pumpkin pie. Not sweet, but very noticeable. The leather continues to be the base through this third, as other flavors continue to dance through my palate. At this point, the ash is no longer perfect and the burn is a little uneven, but still producing perfect amounts of smoke. We’ve definitely moved up to medium/full.

Final third

For those of you that like some excitement, this is where things start to heat up with this cigar. I am starting to get the pepper teasing the back of my tongue. The cream is completely gone. The first half of this cigar was an experience for my entire mouth with flavors and textures coating my cheeks, tongue and lips. Now all the sensation has moved to my tongue (which is tingling likely due to the nicotine). The body has continue to move towards full and I am amazed how this cigar has progressed from its start. The allspice has taken center stage, with backups by damp leather and a simple earthiness. The pepper has gone away and I am amazed at how smooth this cigar continues to be. A slight touchup with the Bic and this cigar is ready for it’s final 15 minutes. As I hit the last 1 ½ inches, something amazing happens. The cream that had disappeared earlier is now back and in full force. Not for long as this cigar is nearly done, but just long enough to remind me why I loved this cigar so much. And with that, I finally let it die out with just a little under an inch left.

Overall thoughts

Wow. Simply amazing. Stunning even. At one point I found myself getting sad just knowing this cigar would end. 2 and a half hours, not a single relight. So smooth without even the slightest hint of harshness. So many good things to say here, and not a single negative. This is quite simply the best cigar I have smoked all year. And with my poor long term memory, I may be able to call this my favorite cigar of all time. An easy 96 in my book with room to get better. I’ve got 4 more of these resting in my humidor and hopefully I can give them the time they deserve to mature. Thank you Reynaldo as you have truly made it clear why I should continue to search out new and different cigars. This one was a treasure and I will remember it for a long time to come.

[Bunker1028]

Wow! Great review for what sounds like a helluva cigar. Nice job and thanks for sharing.

[anacostiakat]

Great review Mike!

Love the pic of The Duke!!!

[CanuckSARTech]

Great review, interesting read, and awesome pics. The different background for each one works wonders!

Thanks for sharing.

[MontrealRon]

Fantastic review - kept me totally spellbound.

Many thanks!!!

[ajgagnon]

Wuh. I want one.

[mbrody]

Wuh. I want one.

X2

Great review...

[thechenman]

Thanks for sharing that fantastic review. I leave reading reviews on the custom rolls.