PSD4 *Early 2010*

[Ophidion]

This was the last PSD4 I got from the second box of CCs I ever bought... figured today would be a good day to burn down a classic.

Prelight:

The wrapper is fairly light and has almost no aroma except at the foot where a very floral note smacks me in the nostrils. There is only one soft spot near the head of the cigar, so I am not too worried about construction issues. Added to that that I have had this resting in the same humidor for almost two years. I punched it with my keychain punch (best 3 dollars I ever spent) and took a cold draw. The flavors I noticed were cedar (a lot of it) some spice and a very floral/vegetal note. The draw is very loose at this point which I attribute to dry boxing for a day or two and the cigar not being packed extremely tight.

1/3:

I toasted the foot with my xikar double flame and took my first few pulls. There is no spice present, which was a little unexpected, the draw was very airy, but had a huge ton of smoke behind it. The main flavors I could pick out were aged tobacco which was somewhat sour, but worked very well with the obvious honey suckle flavor that I detected when these were young. The burn was slightly uneven, but it corrected itself fairly quickly. The body and flavor are both a medium at this point which is what I have always experienced with this particular cigar.. I never understood how people could consider this a powerhouse cigar.

2/3:

Spice has entered the picture at this point, a black pepper which is followed by a slight leather note as well as plenty of the honey suckle and wheat flavor (the vegetal flavor I discovered in the cold draw). There is also the addition of the common "Cuban twang" which mixes very well with the rest of the flavor. I have also noticed a significant increase in power that I was not expecting from my previous experiences with PSD4s from several different boxes (I am assuming they were young when I smoked them as well). Its a solid full bodied, full flavored smoke right now. The ash remains firm, although flaky on the outside and the burn is perfect, even with the very loose draw. The burn is also very slow which is quite surprising.

3/3:

My socks have officially been blown clear off my feet. The cigar is dropping mushroom clouds of smoke and amazing flavors on my palette. Heavy leather with the aforementioned wheat as well as cedar and lots of the honeysuckle which is what I define as the signature of this particular cigar. The smoke is very chewy and is coating everything. I may as well have been smoking an M80 with the explosion of flavors and power I experienced.

Overall impressions:

I was always a little confused as to why people regarded this cigar as a real powerful player in the CC world. I have smoked fifteen or so of these since I started smoking. Some of them with light wrappers like mine, and a couple that were much darker. Every time I experienced a medium cigar with a great flavor profile. This really showed me what a few years of rest can do for a cigar and has inspired me to really hide a few of the cigars I wrote off as "mediocre". I don't have any of these left and I am a little bummed out about that. However, I have a lot of partagas in my humidor (PSP2, 898s, LE10s) that I am sure will get even better with a few more years on them.

[brazoseagle]

Something about that first pic I really like!!!! It draws in my eye.

Great review......that has to be one of the lightest D4 wrappers I have ever seen.

[Ophidion]

One of these days, the cigar is going to fall in the espresso. It actually almost happened when I took the pictures for my HDM PR review which ill be posting... now

[maverickdrinker]

great review. I keep trying to like PSD4s however, they just don't do it for me. Glad to see that you found a powerhouse one that everyone refers to.

[BatFastard]

Excellent review of one of my fav's.