Man O' War Ruination Review
11/18/2014
Cigar: Man O’ War Ruination
Size: Salomon, 7.1”x58
MSRP: $12.50
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Ecuador Sungrown
Origin: Nicaragua
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Prelight: Another salomon found in the La Amistad sampler, this large cigar is wrapped in a velvety-smooth, oily ligero leaf. Intensely floral in aroma, this thing smells delicious. The draw on this one is tighter than the Virtue, which is to say it’s perfect. There is a lot of chocolate flavors coming through on the cold draw.
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1/3: This cigar is a little tough to get toasted, which I believe is due to the oily wrapper. Once it gets going, I am hit with lots of pepper, a little wood, toasted tobacco, and a very slight hint of cream. The flavor is not really “in your face” but is nice enough – maybe medium in body at this point. As the first third burns, I notice a dry hay flavor, as well as chocolaty sweetness.
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2/3: The ash drops right at the transition to the second third, which took about an hour to reach. This is a slow, cool burning cigar. I can start to feel the full strength of the cigar already, making me wonder if I can last the next two hours I project it’ll take to finish the cigar. As far as flavors in the second third, it starts with wood and bitter chocolate, but then the chocolate fades and the dry hay flavor comes back, followed up with a mintiness.
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3/3: The final third has regressed in terms of complexity and is a simple wood/hay/mint mixture. I’m still standing, so the strength didn’t completely kick my ass, but I can definitely feel it. The burn stayed straight and cool for the whole cigar and I was able to nub this powerhouse.
Overall: The Ruination starts out simply amazingly. Lots of complexity in the first third, which tapers down to a very basic – but delicious – profile at the end. Despite a little tough to light initially, the construction allowed for a perfect burn for the whole (nearly) three hours of smoking time. If you’ve got some time on your hands and are looking for a strong cigar, give the Ruination salomon a try.
