Pre-light Experience

A medium brown wrapper with a couple of prominent veins visible. The seams are easily visible but smooth. There appears to be two well applied caps. The band is a large holographic skull with a few quotes on the back side of the band. The aroma from the wrapper is a very faint hay. The foot is more pungent with a mix of leather and hay. The pre-light draw is a creamy leather with a pretty decent spiciness on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The Foundry Time Flies Robusto has a construction paper like consistency Colorado Maduro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed and seams noticeable but not ridged. Bunching and roll feels tight as there is very little give and no soft spots. The parejo head is finished off with a thick double cap. Nosing the wrapper gives strong barnyard, subtle white pepper and wet earth. Nosing the foot gives faint sweet cream, sharp cedar and dry red chilis. Cold draw tells dry cardboard, dry nuts and subtle light cream.

First Third

Initial draws bring a very full strength mix of red pepper spice and wood. After a few draws, that red pepper transforms to black pepper but is just as intense. At a quarter inch in, the pepper settles down some and the wood is more present in the profile. At half an inch, the pepper continues to mellow and the wood takes the lead. The retrohale is primarily wood but has some of that red pepper spice I got right at light up. At an inch in, some cream joins the wood and really pushes the pepper to just a slight finish. This is how the third finishes. The strength started at full, but by the middle of the third, strength was right at medium.

First Third

The first thirds flavor profile is namely one that is driven by wood and spice. Specifically, sharp cedar, tongue coating dry black pepper spice, dry earthy minerality and dry red chili pepper heat. Inch in, faint bread and slight ash enters the palate. Through the nose, intense dry red chili spice, sharp cedar and faint bread. The finish is short with residual dry red chili spice, ash and dry wood. Strength is somewhere in between medium and medium-full. Body is at a solid medium.

Second Third

As this third begins, it’s a creamy woodiness and no real pepper to speak of. At half an inch in, some pepper comes back to the profile which decreases the cream while the general woodiness is still up front. The retrohale is a slightly dry wood. At an inch in, the pepper disappears and the wood becomes slightly drying. This is how the third finishes. The strength in this third was slightly above medium.

Second Third

The second thirds primary difference is the decrease in spice level. The dry red chili, although still a core flavor, has decreased 50%. In addition to the tapered spice, dry wood, dry earthy minerality, medium bodied cream and black pepper. The retrohale remains unchanged, still providing intense dry red chili spice, sharp cedar and faint bread. The finish also remains unchanged, still giving residual dry red chili spice, ash bitterness and dry wood. Strength increases to a solid medium-full, while body remains medium.

Final Third

As this third begins, a slight cream comes back to mix with the wood which is now more defined as oak. A quarter inch in, the cream goes away and the slightly drying oak remains. At half an inch in, some bitterness joins in with the slightly drying oak. At an inch in, the bitterness is just on the finish with the oak being the primary note. This is how the cigar finishes. The strength was at medium-full.

Final Third

The last third mimics the second third. Still tapered dry red chili spice, dry wood, dry earthy minerality, medium bodied cream and black pepper. Through the nose, intensified dry red chili spice, sharp cedar and faint bread. The finish consists of residual dry red chili spice, ash bitterness and dry wood. Strength and body remains unchanged at medium-full and medium, respectively.

Burn

The burn was perfect. Razor sharp the entire way and the ash held on in inch and a quarter segments.

Burn

Burn was overall very good. Total smoking time came in at 1 hour and 30 minutes, in line with my expectations. Burn line was for the most part sharp. Ashes held on tight averaging one inch increments.

Draw

The draw was pretty deliberate, but I was still able to take full draws.

Overall

The skull band was appropriate with how the cigar started as the pepper wanted to melt my face off. That quickly subsided and the first third had a good number of transitions. Getting into the second third, things became pretty linear with wood later becoming more defined as oak. With the strength level of medium plus, it is more appropriate for those that like the higher strength level. For me, this would be a fit for a last cigar in a multiple cigar smoking day and I could see revisiting it from time to time.

Draw

The draw was perfect. Typical of the experience I get from cigars being constructed out of AJ’s factory.

Overall

This was an average cigar experience for me. The notes were consistent with dryness in earth, spice and having cream round out the profile. The cigar tasted like a classic AJ profile, especially when the Ecuadorian Habano 2000 wrapper is used. A so called steady eddy AJ cigar.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.93

Cost/Point

$1.26

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.87

Cost/Point

$1.28

Scoring System