Rafael Gonzalez Perla MAY 15 (XNYRW1

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I had a 6-year-old Perla calling to me after lunch today. I really like this size, and especially the RG (I’m also a big fan of Monte no. 5). I decided to pair it with a coffee - Door County White Christmas (a delicious vanilla ice cream flavored coffee from Wisconsin). Perfect for a December afternoon by the fireplace. 

The cold draw was earthy and a little spicier than I’m used to with these little guys. It reminded me of a Partagas Chico’s just a little bit.

The first third started off a little weak. After a few puffs that tasted like earth and nothing else I started to get some spiciness, and something that tasted like nutmeg (maybe?). A few retrohales at the end of the first third gave me an amazing clarifies butter flavor that I sometimes get with these (and occasionally with Trinidad Reyes).
 

The second third dropped the butter and began giving me a black coffee note, which seemed to increase a bit as the cigar moved from mild into medium strength. I continued to taste the earthy and spicy backbone flavors as well. Those were present to some degree through the whole cigar. 
 

The final third was largely earth and coffee, with something else I can’t put my finger on. 
 

All in all it was a great little cigar for an afternoon break on a cold day. I love that clarified butter note on the retros (though I’ve never heard anyone else mention that with this marca, so maybe I’m a little off…), and I found it to be a fairly complex cigar for such a little guy. The earthy and spicy flavors were there in differing amounts the whole time, but it picked up complementary flavors at different points throughout the smoke. I’m not sure what this cigar is like young, as they’ve always had at least three years of age on them when I’ve smoked them, but it’s fantastic with a little age. 
 

Total smoking time: 38 minutes

91/100