Rafael Gonzales Perla LMB MAR 19 (WTR)*

[Chucko8]

Decided to go for this review by having the sticks back to back on the same afternoon, thus keeping the conditions constant and removing that variable. Had been out for a 16km trail run earlier so figured that I could justify it.

Both sticks selected felt very similar in weight and wrappers also quite similar. For each stick I used a punch hole cutter and the flat flame lighter.

 

Dry review:

Opening I obtain a touch of salt, milk coffee with some sweet cocoa along with a tangy spice flitting in and out.

Time to pair a black coffee which then helps the sweet cocoa to develop more and an earthiness also starts to develop.

2nd half of the stick flavour profile has the earthy aspect coupled with the coffee loosing the milky becoming darker. The sweet cocoa is still lingering though a depreciated level, there is a tangy toasty tobacco and very leathery notes on the finish.

Burn has not been the best on this and have had to make quite a few attempts at correction. Getting a bit too tangy now so time to put it down and prepare for the wet review. Also getting a bit of a head rush, probably the exercise from earlier catching up.

 

Wet Review

Dunked the cigar and then also gave myself a glass of sparkling water prior to lighting up.

1st half: Opening starts similar to the dry stick, thought the coffee profile is a tad more creamy than milky. Cocoa sweetness also feels a little more pronounced than the dry stick. Now is this from the water or perhaps just that I smoked the other dry stick down to the heavier content spicy tang which had effected my perception??

In the same vein and to keep the experiment as like as possible, I grab myself another black coffee, which again enhances that cocoa sweetness. The nicotine kick is real at present and my head is swimming a little.

2nd half: The earthy aspect feels more muted than that of the dry stick which I'm actually enjoying more. The coffee has become darker again though there feels to be still some creamier aspect lingering unlike the dry. 

Burn on this wet example has been better than that of the dry. My buzz from the nicotine earlier has subsided and now really enjoying the leathery notes and toasty tobacco. I smoke it down to a similar point to that of the dry.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the earthier aspect more on the dry stick and found that lacked on the wet. On the wet I enjoyed the creamier aspect that was on display, even though I initially questioned that at the start of the stick as mentioned earlier, I found that it was still prevalent in the 2nd half where as in the dry it was not there. For this reason I score the wet stick above the dry. Now whether that is totally the effect of water dipping or whether that is just the case I would have found if I dipped both or smoked them both dry will always perhaps be little subjective. But my vote is with the dip on this occasion.

[mprach024]

Nice write up, and awesome photos.  You’ve got quite a view.