Freestyle review: Yaquiba Churchill

[BuzzArd]

So, I posted that I’d received these last year and it turns out not many knew they existed. Several asked for a review when I finally fired one up, and here it is.  Kind of....  more observations and notes than a well written review, but you’ll get the idea. 

 

 

Yaquiba

Received this 5 count box as a gift from a friend that had done a bit of traveling last summer.  He did me right bringing me 1/2 dozen boxes of Qd’O Secretos regionals and a box of ERDM du roi regionals from his European leg as well as a handful of single Monte ELs from ‘17 and three of those large La Gloria regionals from ‘15 (I think) as well.   These were a pickup on his way home from a mission trip in Haiti that wrapped the whole summer up.

Been stored at 62% and whatever room temp since. 

Poured a Costco gin and tonic 

VERY rough and rustic in appearance. I can hear Grandpa now....  “That thing’s rougher than a corn cob!”.   Don’t look now, Grandpa...  it might BE a corn cob...

Straight cut. Easy draw with light resistance. 

Mild tobacco note at cold.  Very mild.

Hint of anise. 

Light up, light to medium smoke production at best.  Flavor, not unpleasant, but not strong or full flavored either.  Very faint leather notes. Maybe a hint of white pepper.  Retrohale is easy. Holds ash well out to 1” where it drops neatly into my GnT.   Dammit.  

Keep feeling a stem at my cut, so I bite down and pull out...  a couple of thick stems.    Construction otherwise seems pretty good.  Draw is great.   Burn is nice and sharp.  Ash holds well with no flaking or flower petals dropping onto my beer holder.  

At the 1/3 mark, still extremely mild with poorly defined flavors.   Nothing I can really put my finger on, just very mild smoke.   I’ll be honest, I expected a much more harsh smoking experience, but this has been quite uneventful so far. 

At the half, slight increase in smoke production.  Definite increase in flavor. More leather and black pepper now.  Retrohale stings a bit, but still doable. Still with a razor sharp burn and perfect draw. 

Making the final third and the harshness has arrived. Has become a bit acrid. Less smoke.  Had to make a slight tough up to correct a burn issue that was really minor.   (Edit: turns out that harshness was likely due to the cigar trying to go out.  Reapplied a torch and it was fine.)

 

All in all, if in Haiti and I had nothing else I’d do it again.  Like I said; not a great cigar, but certainly not a bad cigar.  

Smoking cat, however, elected to keep her distance and sleep through the entire experience.

[Islandboy]

Thanks for the review, interesting subject matter. It seems smoking cat has the right idea