The Football Cigar

Size: Figurado

Filler: A blend of 4 different tobaccos out of Dominicano de Olor and Piloto Cubano from the Cibao Valley, Dominican Republic, and Esteli, Nicaragua

Binder: de Olor, Dominican Republic

Wrapper: Arapiraca / Brazil and Connecticut Shade / USA
Dear Diary,

I met Gunnar Heilmann, the inventor/maker of this cigar at the IPCPR 2010. He saw me posting on facebook and asked me to stop by his booth. So I did. Who I met was an energetic guy with tons of enthusiasm. He handed me one of his last samples of the 'darker' version, of The Football Cigar. He asked me to try it and review it, no matter what I thought of it. What he's told me is that he's trying to perfect it. So whether bad or good, he wants to know what can be improved. I liked that!

In honor of his birthday this Oct 2010, I decided to smoke the sample he gave me.

Pre-light - It was an extremely windy evening, about 65°. After a big pot roast dinner at my friends house. I sat in his workvan, out of the wind to smoke this cool looking cigar. I clipped a little off both ends with my Palio and picked an end to light. I guess it doesn't matter which way you smoke it.

The 1st 1/4 of The Football Cigar was very mild. I thought I was going to be dissappointed. It had a fresh cut grass note. Not heavy due to the mildness. The draw was very good for such an odd shape. An even burn so far.

The 2nd 1/2 - Got a lot better. As this cigar progressed it got bolder. Lots of smoke and a woody-mineral type finish. Still a nice even burn. I was really enjoying the amount of smoke in the draw. I also felt myself holding the cigar on the laces as if to throw the bomb.

The 3rd 1/4 - The football started to feel like a regular cigar in hand and mouth. Still a nice amount of smoke. The burn was slightly uneven, but i'll chalk it up to excessive wind blowing through the van. The flavor was very consistant. My friend told me it looked like a cigar you'd see in a cartoon. All in all I enjoyed smoking this cigar. It was fun. If I was at a party i would love to smoke one. Thus is a must for bachelor parties or sports event. Thanks Gunnar, keep up the good work.




Regards,
ShibumiCigar

- Posted by Jeff Kreisberg