Caldwell Eastern Standard The Silk Road
Manufacturer: Caldwell
Brand: Eastern Standard The Silk Road
Size: 7.5x40
Cost: $9.00
Rest Time: 2-months
Burn Time: 2:07
Prelight: The cigar has a light brown wrapper with no visible seams and a pig tail top. It has a firm, dense/rock hard, even pack. Prelight aroma is vegetal in nature with some cedar. The pig tail twists off without a problem, but the draw is too snug so I lop a little more off with my Xikar and off we go. Prelight draw is a sweet and salty tobacco.
1st 3rd:
On first draw I get sweet tobacco on the draw and a spicy white pepper on the finish that really lingers. Once the cigar settles down I get some fresh cut grass, cappuccino and a peppery cedar on the finish.
2nd 3rd:
Entering the second third the ash holds on for over an inch, rare for a lance, but most likely due to the dense pack. The flavors on the draw are now fresh baked bread, leather with cedar and dried cherries. There is cinnamon red hots and a white pepper that really hangs on in the finish. The smoke has moved from gritty and drying to smooth and creamy. The body is medium with no strength.
Final Third:
The ash again is unlancero like holding on for well over an inch. The same flavors remain with a bitt more pepper on the finish.
Summary:
Having read many favorable reviews on Caldwell by our members I really was eager to try this cigar and it did not disappoint. It's a very elegant cigar that packs a ton of flavor especially for a Connecticut wrapper. The ash holding on for such a long time was both a blessing and a curse as the cigar burned very cool, but the long dense ash put the stick out 3-4 times requiring multiple relights. When it was lit The Silk Road had a razor sharp burn line. The body was medium though out and there was some mild strength that showed up in the final 3rd. I'm really glad I bought the fiver from Small Batch and look forward to seeing how these are with some more rest.
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