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Unlit Impressions

 Although it is unclear as to which hemisphere the Broadleaf wrapper on this blend hails from, it does seem to be well formed and properly fermented. In fact, Alliance tells us that the wrapper undergoes a special 90 day high temp fermentation process to obtain various attributes not typically found in Broadleaf smokes. Coffee bean-colored and showing a touch of sheen and tooth, this firmly formed little box-pressed cigar both feels and looks very good.

Now as for aromatics, that is very much a traditional Broadleaf blow of forest and farm funkiness. It's meaty and salty, slightly sour, and smoldering with espresso, bitter cocoa, and black licorice. Cut clean, the fastidiously formed foot features fudge, fig, farmhouse funk, fields of fermented hay, and a fair deal of festive spice flare. Reading this now, I realize that Foyle surely must favor the quote from Method Man, where he says, "My favorite letter is F-Ya'll."  

Brushing off the stray flakes of tobacco leaf that cling to the tapered shoulder, I cut the tip of a surprisingly deep and tightly fitted cap and venture a cold draw. More Fig Newton flavors, a snort of cognac liqueur spiked chocolate, and a nondescript mixture of dried wood and dark spice cake come at me. Intriguing...

Branding wise, I feel that this blend misses its mark. While I dug the vintage paper look of the band on the Meteor Hammer, the gothic font looks out of place on the bright red glossy paper used on this blend. Speaking of being out of place, the band itself was misplaced from the factory on my review cigar, making for a constant annoyance to my OCD ass. The level of reflection on the high-gloss band also made it a bitch to photograph, which surprised me.

Initial Smoke

The familiar intensity and flavor of cracked pepper and crushed red chili pepper charged at me first, coupled with bitter coffee grounds, and a wood and grass mixed graininess. Luckily, a creamy custard and vague vanilla note soon formed, and as retrohales gradually grew more mellow with each passing puff, I settled into a relaxed smoking routine.

1st Half   

Now, as for the first half of the L'Anniversaire Maduro, that remains a mixed bag of tobacco tastes and impressions. It all starts with cedar. As this principal cigar flavor profile shows itself for the first time, a medium-intensity oakiness also arrives. Together, these two dry out the palate a pinch, while preparing it for the boozy rum raisin note that is about to follow. 

Creamy and slightly sweet, this old-school ice cream flavor soon evolves into a milky mocha coffee note, at which point things finally smooth out and the cigar sits squarely at medium. A strange off-flavor of kerosene strikes me right as I am starting to truly enjoy my review cigar though, and I am left wondering what kind of unfermented funk has just caused me to crinkle up my nose in disgust. This repulsive flavor (and aromatic) continues for a few minutes, before mysteriously disappearing in the same way in which it came.

But just as I begin to think the coast is clear, along comes another odd cigar flavor profile. Fortunately, this time around it is not nearly as unpleasant of a taste, but still an odd one to detect. It is the flavor of boiled peanuts, and it is only made palatable by being accompanied by a fat-ass slice of dark artisanal bread. Together, these tastes turn what could have been an absolute disaster of a transition into something familiar, food-focused, and strangely satisfying.

2nd Half 

Tannins from the grassy side of the cigar soon erase any thought of unpleasantness, and as the blend grows smoother in comes something I expected to experience much sooner: Medium roast black coffee. Bitter, but in a good way, this flavor fits in perfectly with the toasted wholegrain bread, and somehow, the boiled peanuts as well. 

Smoke a third further down the barrel, and the first truly sweet moment in the cigar smiles at you. Caramel, in all of its creamy, salty, and undeniably sweet glory gains prominence; while a fat chunk of chocolate brownie floating in salted hot fudge feeds the need for more sugary sweets.  The smoke is still medium in all measures, but creamier in body by now, with that portion being closer to full.

Parting Puffs

As retrohales gain in sweetness, a fistful of soil is shoved at you. Best to accept the offer and move on to the aromatics of the cigar, which have become very good. Strips of leather and a little bit of cedar sawdust show up for a second, just as the cigar starts to sputter and you are left with a surprisingly clean, sweet, creamy, and somewhat similar finish. 

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

My only combustion complaints with my review cigar revolve around physical heat intensity in the first third and a brief attempt at tunneling in parting puffs. Beyond that, I really did not have many issues. This is a blend that likes to increase its smoke production levels the deeper in you go, so do not expect large volumes of the stuff until well into the second half. The cigar also kept a nice ash, provided a good draw, and maintained its manners in the sample smoke I burned a few weeks back, so some additional forgiveness points were provided.

Final Thoughts 

This was a bit of a bizarre cigar for me. On the one hand, it burned pretty darn well and delivered a hefty amount of transitions at just the right moment, or at the worst, just prior to or thereafter. It's also complex enough to be recommended to those looking for a fairly diverse, and to an extent, complex cigar flavor profile. The box-pressing also scored high points for its superb construction, which was razor clean and kept a fairly square ash for much of the time. 

I also appreciated how the blend didn't taste like the typical soil and barnyard broadleaf concoction that are all too common. Nothing against that style of stogie, it just doesn't do much for me and my personal preferences 90% of the time. So yes, all of those dribbles of caramel sauce over fudge-covered brownie served with a cup of milky mocha really did the trick. They weren't anything I would consider to be obnoxiously sweet, but they definitely did take me straight to the dessert table a time or two. 

Nevertheless, I found it tough to warm my palate to the taste of boiled peanuts and grassy fields when I was busy tucking into a fat serving of confectionary flavor. If the Foyle L'Anniversaire Maduro could focus more on the rum raisin, custard, creamer, coffee, and clean cedar moments I detected than what I just mentioned, then it would be a far more balanced blend. Oh, and there never is a place for the unwelcomed appearance of kerosene. I was fortunate not to find this flavor in my sample stick, so I sincerely hope that my review cigar was a fluke in that season's run.