Smoking a Well-Aged Cigar Is Almost A Religious Experience

This morning, I went out to my backyard to enjoy a morning smoke with a cup of strong coffee. It’s a momentous day because one of my sons will be proposing to his girlfriend. A momentous day requires momentous smoke, so, I chose one of Regius Sun Grown sticks from 2017.

I’ve smoked three of these since I found them at West Coast Cigars, and I smoked them all at the shop. In all previous smokes, I didn’t take any time to appreciate the stick before lighting it up. The most I’d do was to marvel at the oil-stained wrapper, knowing I was in for a treat.But this morning, I decided to take some time to examine the stick before I lit it up. And in doing that, I came to a better understanding why this stick is so fucking good.

Looking at the wrapper closely, it was mottled with dark pockets of oil. Obviously, from the condition of the wrapper, it had oozed plenty of oil. Then looking at the wrapper closely in sunlight, the surface of the wrapper glinted with crystalized oil, like a field of diamonds. Yes, I’m waxing poetically, but seeing that instantly inspired me!

Then I smelled the wrapper, but this time I took my time, rather than the cursory whiff I took with previous smokes. The aromas I caught were unlike anything I’ve smelled before on a cigar. Smelling the surface of the wrapper, I got hits of caramel and vanilla. Those were completely unexpected! Smelling the foot, I smelled more caramel and vanilla, but also a pleasing sourness that was akin to sourdough. And it made sense as fermentation produces organic acids. <Mind Blown>

That olfactory inspection put me in awe, and then of course, there is the smoking experience. I’ve already written tasting notes, so I won’t go into them here. But smoking this cigar is akin to seeing something like the Grand Canyon for the first time. It’s awe-inspiring.

How can this taste so good? The planets aligned when I lit this up. All I know is that this is a rare experience for me. It doesn’t matter that these sticks are normally reasonably priced. They’re proof that with some good box aging, they can be life-changing.