Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo ‘99
Binder: American (Pennsylvania)
Filler: Turkey, Nicaraguan, American
Vitola: Principe (4 ½ x 46)
Strength: Medium
Purchase Link: Dalay Zigarren Istanbul
DALAY ISTANBUL REVIEW – DOM
Summary: Puffing with the lighter to the foot, my initial judgement of bitterness ameliorates upon closer inspection: slightly burnt sugar, bread, and faint floral notes.
Halfway down, the thick textured smoke shows off some body. Cocoa powder once again strums that nuanced bitter note. Nuttiness and confectionary sugar sweetness at the finish leave me with zero complaints. If you’re lucky enough to enjoy cigars in the morning, try this one on for size.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Handwoven wicker baskets
Pairing Suggestion: Cappuccino
Perceived Strength: Medium-
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: 5-pack
DALAY ISTANBUL REVIEW – RICH
Summary: This cigar brought flavor notes of cereal grain, red pepper, black pepper, cedar, and coffee. It wasn't a complex profile, but it was enjoyable. Consistent readers may note that I am not the biggest fan of cedar profiles, though with this cigar it worked.
Construction gave me no issues to speak of.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: A cedar & spices profile
Pairing Suggestion: Bourbon
Perceived Strength: Medium
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: 5-pack
DALAY ISTANBUL REVIEW – BEN
Summary: First two puffs come through with a caramel sweetness on the retro; very smooth and very surprised. It's followed up by some wood, some baking spices, and I think that underlined note is some dewy cedar; tastes like it's raining outside.
Second half consistently serves up white pepper on the tip of my tongue; it feels spicy after every puff. Cedar is dominant for me but I'm enjoying the hint of cinnamon right before every pillow-y retro. A short stick but was a slow burn.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: An unexpected nightcap
Pairing Suggestion: Dark Rum
Perceived Strength: Medium
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Box
DALAY ISTANBUL REVIEW – TED
Summary: I’m beginning with the cold draw. Let’s call it “distinctive”. I’m tasting a lot of campfire-esque (it’s a word) flavors.
First off, great smoke production. This cigar tastes borderline infused but I can’t nail down the flavor. Not horrible. Not amazing. The profile is a sharp, slightly pungent, mixture of wood, bbq sauce, strong tea and what I can only describe as an odd floral note. Retro hale flavors are even more sharp. Jumping into the fray is a distant, mildly sweet note.
Some transitions are happening towards the middle. The profile is still a bit sharp, but the pungent aspect is gone as is the floral note. The mixture includes wood, black pepper, coffee and some lingering fire smoke flavor. The thick smoke still holds a hint of sweetness tasting more and more like caramel. The retro hale is very nice.
Finishing off this stick and the fire smoke flavor has dropped out. Wood, leather, and black pepper remain. Lots of spiciness in the end. Construction is spot on. Some are going to scoff, but I’d smoke this again.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Pepper crusted bacon, with a pepper shaker nearby
Pairing Suggestion: An ice cold crispy boy
Perceived Strength: Medium
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: 5-pack
Participants in this blind review were completely unaware of the cigar they were evaluating until all submissions were received and processed. Each participant was asked to answer a summary paragraph, an if/than statement, a pairing suggestion, and a purchase suggestion. Cigars were provided by Small Batch with only the expectations of candid responses. All pictures, information, and formatting were completed by a Coordinator outside of the reviewing process.
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