Czar Custom "Tampa"

[Colt45]

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. I'd fully intended to wait until the turn of the new year to try one of these, but with well over a

week of crap weather and the day breaking with sun and relatively warm temps, I deciding to take the opportunity while it presented itself.

Construction: All in order. Feels great in the hand - dense but not hard.

Wrapper: Colorado+ in color. Finely toothed, lightly mottled, a matte sheen of oil.

Pre-Light Attributes: Intoxicating aroma - sweet barnyard with elements of raisin and chocolate - does anyone remember the "Chunky"

chocolate square? Excellent draw with a taste of cocoa powder.

Draw / Burn / Smoke Volume: All very good.

Taste: Initial draws of walnut and white pepper. After a very brief flat spot consisting of pepper but missing a core, some of the pre-light

character begins to emerge. A smooth density, chocolaty in texture if not in flavor. Reminiscent of a peanut butter / chocolate power bar - chewy,

dry, unsweetened, but without the grit - filling.

Continuing on in the first third, A bit of nuts, a tinge of fruit, the spice becoming green bell pepper. Medium in body, rich in mouth feel, extremely

smooth in delivery, becoming more buttery in texture.

The draw firms up just a bit in entering the middle third, but it's still very good. Fine tobacco on the front palate, some raisin on the mid, a bell

pepper finish. The overall impression is velvety smooth, rich, and chewy. The aftertaste gives a real sense of the richness of this cigar, and I begin

to consider the tobacco - is it the seco? volado? The ligero used? The farms? (most likely all of the above).

At mid point, it begins to come more into focus for me - it's about the tobacco. It's a clean cigar - very well mannered but not necessarily refined.

Lush but not demanding. No truly overt flavors, but a great sense of high quality tobacco delivered in a smooth, well balanced fashion.

The final third is a little darker and a little more earthy, showing more of the green pepper, but the cigar retains it's richness and balance. And so

it goes until I sadly set it down. Well done!

Comments: I get the feeling that there is something lurking underneath and I'm looking forward to seeing what a little time will bring to these.

Intentional or not, I feel it shares some qualities with the Czar (a good thing), not the least of which is the sense of where it comes from.

[mbrody]

Thanks Colt. I am enjoying my first Tampa as I type. You summed it up very well...

[CanuckSARTech]

Thanks Colt. Well done. You guys are driving me nuts! I'm still awaiting the arrival of mine!

[bassman]

Haven't tried mine yet, but your review inspired me to Buy a couple "Chunky" squares. Yummy chocolate & raisens. Eat too many & you'll be chunky too!

[Professor Twain]

I broke out my bundle of "Tampas" last weekend in a get together at Central Cigars in St. Petersburg, Florida. There were four of us in attendance, myself, my son Carl, Kilroy, and Sir Diggamus. These are beautiful cigars, with rich oily wrappers, flawless. We were all in awe of these beautiful cigars and the rich flavors they produced.

The cigars seemed to be cousins of a Partagas 898, lots of pepper, but with an additional sweetness that some of us thought was reminiscent of molasses. Near the finish, the cigar had a Bolivar like earthiness.

This group of guys had all smoked a lot of cigars with Chuck, and we all agreed that the Tampa custom roll is a suitable tribute to him. Partagas and Bolivar were two of his favorites and he would definitely have approved of the size of this cigar.

We all agreed that if Rob can get some past Customs to the Land Upstairs, Chuck would like to have a bundle of these. But he would probably age them.

[CanuckSARTech]

We all agreed that if Rob can get some past Customs to the Land Upstairs, Chuck would like to have a bundle of these. But he would probably age them.

LOL. Well said.