BBF TUE Nov 21 (TPRW)

[jakebarnes]

As seen in the "Daily Smoke" thread I decided to say hello to an old (but young) friend. It's been a while as my palate has shifted to some of the sweeter and nuanced blends of other marcas. However, years ago when I was coming from NCs, the BBF and BPC were the perfect gateway. 

Prelight: Firm draw after cutting. Almost a cold coffee and woodiness. Beautiful dark wrapper that got me excited for the experience ahead. 

First Third: Started off with a clean nuttiness with a touch of woodiness. Towards the end of the first third an element of creaminess started to creep in. Beautiful experience so far--billowing smoke and slight bit of resistance on the draw 

Second Third: the woodiness yields to the earthiness and cream. Soon into this third a sort of dark cherry (like the cocktail old fashioned ones) pushes to the forefront. Really a beautiful note shining through. As the middle of this third progressed, I get sort of smacked with the "cuban twang." As an aside, if you asked me to list the most cuban twangy cigars (as @El Presidente did a few weeks ago), I don't think I would have had the BBF in my top 10. Busy, busy, busy. 

Final Third: Cherry and earth at the forefront, coffee grounds and creaminess lingering there, and a faint pepper spice. As the cigar burns towards the band the flavors start to get a little disjointed, showing its youth. The cherry sort of takes a backseat while the pepper, cream, and tobacco/earthiness duke it out. It's a bit of a bummer, but really shows the promise of the cabinet.

Conclusion: I recall the BBF being a more "high octane" cigar. My previous tasting notes had it as stout, leather, a slight nuttiness with a hint of and pepper on the backend. But a big full body. Feels like the blend has changed a bit since my last BBF (its admittedly been about 7 years?). It's not a detriment, just a bit more medium-full and different than expected. I really enjoyed the cigar and some wonderful company with my wife after a great meal (her short review: "It's fine, just not a CoRo" another side note: Vigia are also "acceptable"). Going to let these get to at least a year to a year and a half before I review.

Final verdict? It was a good cigar on a binary scale. 89-90 for those who prefer a 100 pt scale.