Over the last couple of months Eric Hanson has been a regular visitor to The Cigar Authority studios. After all their offices are about 20 minutes to the south of us. During that time frame we have heard and discussed the Museum Edition from concept to completion including seeing the prototype.
This week, the Hammer + Sickle Museum Series has arrived. The packaging is almost as divine as the cigar. Read on to hear our experience of this amazing stick.
Cigar Review: Moscow City
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabadom
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 50
Vitola: Toro
Body: Full
The Look: Packaged in jar that looks like a spire from the world renown St. Petersburg Church of the Savior of Spilled Blood (Церковь Спаса на Крови), the cigar features a red and silver band with a rustic looking Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. In the hand the Moscow City feels like velvet with no soft spots, an exquisite roll and a well packed foot.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Moscow City has a maple like sweetness to it with a hint of earth and leather on the finish while the foot mimics the leather and earth through the nose.
Once the cigar is lit it is a definitive specimen of one utilizing Connecticut Broadleaf. There are notes of toast and coffee with a hint of leather that was experienced on the cold draw. Moving past the first inch, the cigar develops well-defined notes of espresso coffee beans and a semi-sweet finish on the palate while the retrohale is spicy with a coffee like aroma.
The second third of the 5-year-old Moscow City continues with notes of rich espresso that remain dominant and a finish that reminds me of a Rollo. At the half-way point all I can think about is chocolate and caramel as the espresso coffee bean moves to the background with leather on the moderate finish. Through the nose on the retrohale the black pepper notes grow in intensity with an enjoyable aroma.
As the cigar concludes, espresso and leather battle for supremacy and as the experience comes to a close the leather notes are dominant with a rich coffee aroma. The retrohale is a pepper bomb and the finish is lengthy.
The Burn: A slow burning cigar that saw a slightly jagged burn with a thin combustion line. The cigar never needed to be touched up and around the half way point it was the definition of a perfect burn. The cigar remained lit for the 2 hours it took to smoke, and the draw was perfect with the marble color ash holding on for more than 2 inches at a time.
The Finish: Even with 5 years of age on it, the cigar had a nice kick to it. There is a definite difference between this cigar and the version that Hammer + Sickle went with for their regular release. There is what appears to be more strength and it is definitely a cigar to be enjoyed after a hearty meal. In talking with the director of sales for Hammer + Sickle Cigars Eric Wentworth, he wondered how come cigar reviews don’t have a decimal so, we will score this so.
Score: 93.4
Price: $199.99 (Jar)
Moscow City
Moscow City Foot
Moscow City Burn
