Caldwell Collection - Eastern Standard

Caldwell Collection - Eastern Standard
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Nice looking cinnamon wrapper, soft satin in appearance with minimal veins wand a large single wrapped pigtail cap. Nice body with some give when squeezed, but not mushy. The aroma off the body is coffee, brown sugar with a little cinnamon & caramel. Off the foot, I'm getting cinnamon, a richer dark roast coffee, and brown sugar; great aromas!

Great pre-light draw, nice and loose, but not where you have to be careful with your pull. I'd say it's perfect. Flavors on the dry draw are coffee, moss, a bit of an earthy note with some white pepper; a contrast from the aroma off the body and foot.

1st 3rd:
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Strength is medium, and medium to full on the retro-hale. This could be a tear jerker for those who aren't into or use to retro-haling. Flavors on the draw are wood and dried fruit; great flavor, but you really get the full flavor with the retro-hale. The retro-hale flavors are wood, dried fruit with licorice and pepper; both draw and retro-hale presents a long finish especially on the back of the throat.

Smoke output is medium off the foot, with smooth rich smoke on the draw. The smoke is impressive; I'd say this is a smoke house. Again, rich textured smoke that adds to the draw and flavors. The aroma of the smoke also compliments the smoking experience giving off a subtle sweetness and coffee.

Great draw, no extra work needed, very easy to enjoy. Nice even burn and solid ash wrapping up the 1st 3rd.
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2nd 3rd:
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Strength is still medium. Flavors I'm getting are coffee, caramel, brown sugar, and a nice cake batter note but not sweet; very subtle. On retro-hale I get that caramel and brown sugar. I'm also getting that bit of earth. The retro-hale has smoothed out with a smooth softer finish, still long. The flavors picked up a great deal; the caramel, brown sugar with the subtle cake batter taste great.

Smoke output is still thick in appearance on the draw, rich on the palate, and medium smoke coming off the foot. The aromas are pretty much the same; hints of sweetness and coffee.

The draw hasn't changed, still a perfect loose draw; the tip of medium. Solid burn on this cigar, ash pretty solid with minimal flake, but no snow flaking. Ash held up two inches before falling on its own. Great burn line with no touch-ups needed so far.
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Last 3rd:
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Strength is still medium, I'm getting a minor buzz at this point which makes me believe it's going to end at the higher end of medium. Retro-hale strength is still smooth from the 2nd 3rd, which is very different from the 1st 3rd. Flavors haven't changed on the draw or retro-hale from the 2nd 3rd.

Smoke output remains pretty heavy on the draw, but has toned down off the foot at this point. The aromas are great as it has been, beautiful smelling cigar all the way through so far.

The draw, burn and ash hasn't changed; beautifully constructed cigar; no complaints there. No heat, no squishy points, no touch-ups, no band or glue issues.

Overall:
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Ok, I must say the band interesting enough caught my attention and this cigar did not fail to deliver. Excellent flavors that transitioned beautifully only left me wanting more and made me wonder what other gems are behind this brand. With everything from the great draw to the caramel and brown sugar flavors, the hint of pepper which faded well in the back, to that note of cake batter made this a nice complex cigar for me, and something I feel I need to keep in stock.

The strength falls on the medium side, may even seem a bit on the high end of mild as it smooths out during the 2nd and last 3rd, however, the smoke output, aromas, and flavors keep the attention of even the more full strength cigar smokers such as myself. Everything compliments each other making this a must try to a must-have. Try it, and if you have, tell me what you think.

Until next time, stay smoky; The Brooklyn Way!