Man O' War Side Project 52-C Review
11/24/2014
Cigar: Man O’ War Side Project 52-C
Size: Wedge, 5.0”x52
MSRP: $9.00
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Ligero
Origin: Nicaragua
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Prelight: I’ve never had a chisel shaped cigar before, so this one will be quite an experience. The wrapper has some decent sized veins (one of which has pulled apart creating a small hole) and slight tooth. The wrapper smells very chocolaty and the extremely dense foot complements the aroma with a bit of wood. I very carefully use a guillotine to clip the cap – which is very small – and get a great cold draw.
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1/3: As with most of AJ’s sticks, I am immediately hit with pepper, but there is an odd underlying sweetness that I just can’t put my finger on. Soon, that sweetness develops into cream, and cedar also arrives at the party. The burn gets a little wavy at times, but always corrects, and the cream picks up as I smoke, creating a creamy peppered wood flavor by the end of the first third.
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2/3: The ash is solid and still hanging on as I go into the second third. The pepper is rounding out a bit, and is less biting but still present. I take notice of how the chisel feels in my mouth, and I like it. After the ash falls, I get another flavor I can’t place: it’s kind of green and vegetal…bell pepper perhaps? But, this flavor fades quickly and I transition to the final third tasting mostly cedar with a slight chocolate finish.
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3/3: There is no more sweetness in the final third, which is simply a spicy, dusty cedar flavor. Again, the chisel shape proves useful as I find it easy to hang on to the nub.
Overall: This was a great cigar. From the interestingly pleasant shape, to the evolving and enjoyable flavors, I have a hard time finding any fault with it. I didn’t really get a nic kick from the supposed full strength, but it was a solid medium-full in my book. Construction was great (minus the small hole, which had no impact in the smoking experience) and any variations from a straight burn handled themselves without a need for a touch up. The burn stayed cool and slow. This will definitely be a cigar I revisit.
