601 Serie La Bomba

Napalm

The “Napalm” is the robusto vitola of the line. This is an interesting looking stick, with a dynamite fuse pigtail. It is apparently not the first cigar to have a fuse-cap, but it suits it well. I expect a peppered-up, nicotine bomb of a cigar.

Statistics

CotM: July 2012







Chosen by: sickinkentucky [account deleted]







Shape: Parejo







Size: 5 x 52







Country of Origin: Nicaragua







Wrapper: Habana 2000







Binder: Nicaraguan







Filler: Nicaraguan







Color: Colorado Maduro







Strength: Full







Price Paid: $5.00







Smoke Date: 6/30/13

6/30/13





Age: 6 weeks

Accessories Used

Cuban Crafters Perfect Cutter (Silver & Carbon Fiber), Bugatti B-2002 lighter with “pyramid” double-flame torch, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, served neat in a Sagaform Rocking whiskey glass. The bourbon is a bit spicy from rye, but the spice was no contest for the pepper of the La Bomba.

Appearance/Nose

The first thing I noticed was the unusual extra-long pigtail that made the cigar look a bit like a stick of dynamite with a long fuse–clever, but gimmicky. It was hanging off of what appeared to be a triple cap.

The wrapper was milk-chocolate-colored the stick was very smooth. The band was bright yellow and on the foot. The nose was strong–barnyard, chocolate, and spice.

Construction

No soft or hard spots, no major veins. It looked like a very well-crafted stick of tobacco. The ash was strong and held on for well over an inch before I tapped it off.

Cold Draw

A cold draw lent me some flavors of spice, barnyard, and sweetness. My tongue was tingling. I could already tell that this is going to be a spicy stick. The draw itself was a little tight.

Smoking

First third

The opening puffs were actually quite a bit creamier than I expected–not a spice bomb out of the gate. There was a bit of caramel, cinnamon, and sweet fruit on the retrohale. Delicious!

And just like that, after getting past the first quarter-inch, the spice kicked in. Notes of cinnamon, red pepper, black pepper, and pumpkin pie spice all blended together. A molasses sweetness held it all together. The burn was relatively even.

Despite being big on flavor, smoke production was low. By the time the first inch was burned, the black pepper and sweetness dominated, leaving much of the complexity behind.

Second third

The flavor and burn stayed pretty much the same throughout the middle third–pepper and molasses.

The burn wobbled a bit but was manageable with rotation. The retrohale was nothing but black pepper. The draw remained tight.

Final third

No changes coming into the final third. This was pleasant stick, but fairly strong, and none too complex.

The draw loosened up a bit, though the smoke production remained low. In the final stretch, a nutty, buttery taste replaced the molasses. The pepper didn’t go anywhere.

Notes

Draw: Medium-tight

Medium-tight





Body: Full

Full





Smoke Output: Low

Low





Primary Flavors: Pepper, molasses

Pepper, molasses





Smoke Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Overall

Not bad! The peppery taste is quite strong, but very pleasant. While there was little complexity after the first inch, it was a solid, tasty smoke throughout, with no burn or construction issues. The draw started off a bit tight, but not tight enough to cause exertion from puffing. The low smoke output was a bit disconcerting, and the second half was lacking in complexity. These are worth a try, and definitely would make a good gift due to the unique presentation, but I don’t see it as a regular rotation cigar.

Rating