In my early teens, a couple of friends and I would sneak into an off-licence and buy some cheap cigars - Hamlet, Henri Winterman's Cafe Creme, you know the sort. At the time we thought we were the bee's knees.
Well, this cigar has brought back those heady days. And not in a good way.
Construction is excellent. The burn is razor-sharp all the way. I didn't need to touch up with my lighter once.
But the flavour? Bland, not exactly harsh, but hardly smooth. Dull. Uninteresting. Never again.
My overwhelming impression? I'm sorry to say this, but it just tasted "cheap".
I bought some H Upmann half-coronas at the same time I bought these. They were only marginally more expensive, but were a world away in terms of flavour, quality and - most important of all - enjoyment.
Sometimes a misspent youth is worth revisiting. Not this time.