Ashton Cabinet Selection No. 2
Yet another Ashton, owned by Holt's; a cynical person would accuse me of trying to wrangle free cigars out of them. That person would be correct, but I'm also trying to limit myself to cigars I've had recently, and Dan and I grabbed one of these over at Mahogany last Friday, so it's what I'm writing about.
The first time I had an Ashton Cabinet cigar was the last day of classes of my senior year of high school career. I left Paul Vi, came home, and smoked one of these pacing out by the pool. Then as now I was struck by the fact that the smoke actually tastes creamy. That's what all the other reviews and marketing says, but it's true. It's weird, I don't know why, but they do. That only happens for the first half of the cigar, after that, it's still great, but no dairy. I highly recommend them if you like other Ashtons, and other pricy medium bodied cigars (Davidoffs, Dunhills, Griffins),
At first glance it would be a good celebratory cigar; however, it's expensive (for the average guy.) What does this mean? In the midst of an event (bachelor party, graduation, birthday) you're really not going to give it any attention, and you certainly won't get the full worth of it. You'll be left thinking the experience wasn't worth the price. Solution, save it for a time when you can enjoy it.
Stats: It's a Dominican cigar with Dominican binder and filler, with a Connecticut wrapper. It's 7 inches with a 48 ring gauge. Additionally it's what's called a Perfecto, which means that it's tapered at both ends. (Every jackass boss in a comic strip smokes these.) This is one that you'll want to be comfortable for. It took me close to two hours to smoke it last Friday. Far from cheap, it's pretty pricey at $13.25 per single at Holt's. It's not one to have everyday, unless you're independently wealthy, but it's one I would definitely have. But like I said, don't bother saving it for a special day, have it sometime when you can really enjoy it.
Posted by: Steve Genotte at June 8, 2009 3:49 PM