Rafael Gonzales Perla EAG MAR 15 (WTR)

[kawaii]

This is my first attempt at a review so I hope I don't mess this up too badly. ?

DRY - paired with Coke Zero

I love to pair Coke Zero with smokes because I think it cuts through the harshness well and the sweetness helps bring out the flavors - my personal favorite is lemonade and RASS, or coffee and Montes, but Coke Zero is always good for me for almost anything else.

I took a fiver out of storage for this review. It has been resting in my tupperdore with a Boveda 65 for about a month or so.

For the dry test, I took the second one (why? No idea, it seemed like a good idea at the time) and let it sit out for a little bit (the climate is a bit wetter than 65 and I figured it wouldn't hurt to let it get acclimated to the "natural" environment). 

For the first third, it was slightly spicy and woody. As I got further into it, it was just more wood with a hint of fruit (citrus to me). After about four or five puffs, I took a swig of Coke Zero to get some of the harshness off my palate and I thought it got a lot better. The spiciness fades and it was just woody, with a bit of grass.

For the second third, the spiciness is almost completely gone. It still was a mild/medium flavor but stronger wood. I started tasting a bit of leather as it went and then I thought I found the magic. I got just a hint of cocoa. I never know when the hint is so faint whether it is actually there or if I'm just looking for it so hard that my brain puts it in there (and really on reflection, does it matter whether it is actually there or if your brain just lets you think it is there - you experience it either way, right?). The cocoa flavor is very dark chocolate, with a slight bitterness. I cleansed my palate with another swig of Coke Zero.

At this point, I finish my swig and look up to find that I got a terrifying visitor - I called it a radroach in my notes but it was basically an inch+ long roach with maybe 1.5 or 2 inch long antennas calmly crawling its way across the balcony towards me. (I took a picture but figured y'all don't need to see a picture of Shiva Destroyer of Worlds if she was a roach but let me know if y'all feel differently.)

That firefight ended up with me having to relight the Perla for the final third.

For the final third, it was more leather on the relight, but still predominantly wood. At this point, it was very smooth with easier to find cocoa flavor. Not much change after this point, just wood and cocoa the rest of the way, with slightly more bitterness towards the end. 

All in all, a 7.5 out of 10.

WET - paired with Coke Zero

For the wet cigar, I went one over to grab the fourth one out of the pack. Make sure I maintain flavor independence ?

I was really unsure about this dunking thing but the video review made me hopeful that this would remove all of the impurities and send me to cocoa heaven. We shall see!

I dipped it for about a 5 count and then shook off the excessive water. Lighting up seemed to be fine and the first puff was great. No spiciness, smooth, but started with leather instead of wood.

As I kept going into the first third, I found the spiciness coming back. Still no wood but I noticed a lot of the water was absorbed really quickly and the outer wrapper was dry before I finished the first third. I hit a pepper patch on this first third and had to clear my palate a bit with Coke Zero. That changed it a bit from leather to more woody but the pepper was still there.

The second third was largely disappointing. No development or real change for most of it until I got towards the end of the second third. Pepper, less wood, and maybe a hint of grass in there. Didn't love it but as it got to the end of the second third, it developed a bit more creaminess, the leather seems to fade and it gets more woody. I enjoy that quite a bit.

For the final third, it gets better - more fruity, the hint of citrus is back and there is noticeably less wood and leather. Sadly there was no cocoa to be found. The fruity wood taste sticks through the last third and doesn't change much if at all.

Final score - 6.5/10. Would have been great if I found the cocoa again but it wasn't to be. The creaminess was great though and I don't mind the citrusy wood.