La Flor Dominicana Cheroot - 'The Icepick'

Haven't smoked a cigar in a while, so tonight I thought I should light up something rather special. Going with a LFD Cheroot tonight, nicknamed 'The Icepick' for it's strength - it is rumored that the Cheroot is made with 100% ligero! This cigar is available in only one shop in the whole US, originally only handed out by LG himself. I'm in the mood for a strong stick so we'll see how this little gem works out. Gonna be a quickie review because my laptop isn't coming outside with me.

Outside tonight, lighting up with matches and drinking some cold water. No need for a cut as it is already cut on both end.

The draw was quite open, providing tons of thick smoke. A blast of spice like I have never seen before greeted me upon lighting, with a background of wood. After I blew out the smoke, my mouth fealt like I had just eaten a hot pepper there was so much spice! Both flavor and strength proved to be very robust, but I did get a hint of plastic (??) out of the first half inch. The middle of the cigar mellowed a bit, with a hint of cream balancing the spice out, but the pepperiness was still dominant. When I smoke a strong stick I often notice a little knot in the back of my throat, and the 'Icepick' was no exception. No head buzz, but definitely quite powerful. The ash progressed to almost 2 inches before I dropped it, and about this time I noticed a bit of harsh tar flavor, which a prompt re-cut mended. The end brought back the wood flavor with the still strong pepper/spice notes. I also noticed an odd, sweet brandy-like flavor which I have never tasted in a cigar.

Overall, this was a really cool stick. I thank my BOTL from the Asylum for gifting me this cool little treat, it was certainly a new experience. As far as a rating, I'm not really sure I want to give this stick a number. Being that this is not a regular production stogie, and not even really in the category of traditional size or flavor, I would prefer to judge it purely as an interesting smoke. If you get a chance, do pick one up, you won't regret it. Just make sure to eat a nice meal before hand!