Price: $5.50 – $7.50

Size: Perfecto 4.5″ x 49

Wrappeer: Cameroon

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican

First Impression: So I had about 30 minutes to kill and I was close by my favorite cigar shop so I stopped in and looked for something smaller than I usually smoke. My eyes came to a stop at the Hemingway Short Story and the shape just looked so appealing I decided to pick it up. At $6 it was very easy on the wallet. The perfecto shape was pleasing, the construction was very nice with a nutty brown wrapper and a few veins. The cap also looked splendid and it cut just beautifully.

Pre-light draw seemed to show very light pepper and tobacco. Lighting the figurado tip I was careful not to burn the end too much or risk it canoeing. It lit up extremely easily.

First half: I have to say that the amount of complexity on such a short stick was really astounding for me. The flavors that stood out the most were sweet toast, light pepper, and salt. Generally I have not enjoyed pepper mixed with sweetness but this was so well-balanced the flavor profile just really worked. The more subtle flavors were cedar and a bare hint of cinnamon. The smoke is a nice ivory white and is oh so creamy and thick. Burn was flawless as the figurado tip bloomed outward and opened up the draw and boquet of flavors.

Second half: The ash fell off at right before the second half. With smaller smokes I tend to find that this makes the smoke at least some degree harsher until the ash builds back up, but not so in this case. The smoke stayed nice and cool. There wasn’t even much of a flavor change. The complexity and flavor profile stayed about the same, but the pepper did fall off and the toast flavors increased. Additionally, the longer I smoked the more a buttery toasty light salt flavor was left on my lips. Almost like the aftertaste left by Oyster Crackers. It was very light and I found myself licking my lips after each smooth draw. I did have to take slower smaller draws when I was about 3/4″ from the end as the smoke got hot if I didn’t, but I went right to the nub on this one and burned my finger to boot!

Conclusion: This 45 minute cigar I bought on a whim when I had time to kill. I had no idea just how thoroughly I was going to enjoy this cigar. At each turn I found myself looking at it and loving every minute of it. It produced wonderful thick plumes of smoke which I love and was just a fantastic mild/medium bodied cigar. A part of my heart wished that it came in some larger form, but then I remember that its current incarnation is the artist’s intention. It is not a biography or a novel, it is a short story; and that is exactly the way it was intended.

I give this cigar a 4.75 out of 5

Notes: Cedar, Light Pepper, Toast, Sweet Butter, Light Salt, Cinnamon

P.S. Pairing – I immediately bought another one of these to smoke at home and it went very well with a Franziskaner Hefeweizen. The light flavors of the beer paired very well with the Short Story. It really made the toast flavors stand out and reduced the amount of pepper that came through.