Herf N Turf
03-26-2016, 08:26 AM
Hey Ya Bums!
Since I had no sense of forethought, there are sadly no piccies as accompaniments, so sorry. BUT! I had such a wonderful experience with this thing, I just had to share it with my fellow Bums. I guess it's got to be a dozen years since I first dipped my cigar smoking toe in the deep green and blue (see Brazilian flag) waters of the CAO Brazilia line. After several exemplars, I settled on the Gol! as my favorite. It quickly made it into my "Go-To" rotation, where it remained for a very long time. Over the years, I guess I've smoked and delighted over countless boxes of these little jewels, so it's a flavor profile I knew well... or at least so I thought.
The weather in Virginia is simply extraordinary at the moment. The days are slowly creeping into the wonderful 70's, with the evenings hovering in the mid-high 60's. I guess I don't have to tell anyone here that it's the perfect outside smoking weather. Last night was particularly pleasing since the breeze, or lack of it, was cooperating with the temperature. I chose the cigar as I usually do; deliberate for 20 minutes, get frustrated and just grab something. What I grabbed was an eight year old Gol! It had been napping comfortably at 65/60 in one or another humidor all this time, naked as a jaybird.
The nose and hand were just what you'd expect. A slight oily sheen to the wrapper and the sweet scent of finely fermented maduro-esque tobacco. Yup, the saliva started flowin'! I lingered a bit over the pre-light draw. I generally try to toast my foot just prior to cutting, but I made an intentional exception in this case, in order to get a long and in-depth first impression. The draw itself was just what you'd expect from a well-aged stogie, smooth, with just enough resistance to indicate great construction and ample time.
It married with the flame like long-lost pals. Nice and even in virtually no time. From the first full draw, to the final, finger-singing nub, this trip down euphoric recall lane was incredible. Big pillows of smoke emanated from the thing with just the slightest assistance from me. Each tug bathed my tongue and palate in thick, rich, oily smoke that caressed and coated the back-most parts of my mouth. Just a slight tingle of nicotine, most of which hadn't withstood the time, tickled my throat and nostrils on the retro.
The flavors, OH the FLAVORS, were of earth, bakers chocolate and nuts. The nut notes changed from walnut, to hazelnut, with the slightest hint of pecan towards the end. The addition of a raisin-esque note toward the end, even with the previous notes, was a pleasant surprise. It never got bitter and only required a couple of gentle purges near the nub. The overall maturity of the incredibly complex profile also surprised me for a cigar of this age. Like most of you, I fully expected it to have lost much of its definition and complexity, as do most non-Cubans, but pleasantly, not so the Gol! Frankly, I've not found that the Brazilia are particularly well-suited to long-term aging, but clearly I've re-thought this dogma and gained new-found respect for the line. Thankfully, I have several other examples from this era, which I'm now looking even more forward to.
Anyway, I'm not sure where else I'm going with this, other than to suggest that we all keep a more open mind about what is and isn't a good candidate for long-term aging. While much of the "power", or strength of the cigar had been lost to the years, what it lacked in punch was more than made up for by nuance.
In a word, I loved it!
Thanks for watching ;-)
Since I had no sense of forethought, there are sadly no piccies as accompaniments, so sorry. BUT! I had such a wonderful experience with this thing, I just had to share it with my fellow Bums. I guess it's got to be a dozen years since I first dipped my cigar smoking toe in the deep green and blue (see Brazilian flag) waters of the CAO Brazilia line. After several exemplars, I settled on the Gol! as my favorite. It quickly made it into my "Go-To" rotation, where it remained for a very long time. Over the years, I guess I've smoked and delighted over countless boxes of these little jewels, so it's a flavor profile I knew well... or at least so I thought.
The weather in Virginia is simply extraordinary at the moment. The days are slowly creeping into the wonderful 70's, with the evenings hovering in the mid-high 60's. I guess I don't have to tell anyone here that it's the perfect outside smoking weather. Last night was particularly pleasing since the breeze, or lack of it, was cooperating with the temperature. I chose the cigar as I usually do; deliberate for 20 minutes, get frustrated and just grab something. What I grabbed was an eight year old Gol! It had been napping comfortably at 65/60 in one or another humidor all this time, naked as a jaybird.
The nose and hand were just what you'd expect. A slight oily sheen to the wrapper and the sweet scent of finely fermented maduro-esque tobacco. Yup, the saliva started flowin'! I lingered a bit over the pre-light draw. I generally try to toast my foot just prior to cutting, but I made an intentional exception in this case, in order to get a long and in-depth first impression. The draw itself was just what you'd expect from a well-aged stogie, smooth, with just enough resistance to indicate great construction and ample time.
It married with the flame like long-lost pals. Nice and even in virtually no time. From the first full draw, to the final, finger-singing nub, this trip down euphoric recall lane was incredible. Big pillows of smoke emanated from the thing with just the slightest assistance from me. Each tug bathed my tongue and palate in thick, rich, oily smoke that caressed and coated the back-most parts of my mouth. Just a slight tingle of nicotine, most of which hadn't withstood the time, tickled my throat and nostrils on the retro.
The flavors, OH the FLAVORS, were of earth, bakers chocolate and nuts. The nut notes changed from walnut, to hazelnut, with the slightest hint of pecan towards the end. The addition of a raisin-esque note toward the end, even with the previous notes, was a pleasant surprise. It never got bitter and only required a couple of gentle purges near the nub. The overall maturity of the incredibly complex profile also surprised me for a cigar of this age. Like most of you, I fully expected it to have lost much of its definition and complexity, as do most non-Cubans, but pleasantly, not so the Gol! Frankly, I've not found that the Brazilia are particularly well-suited to long-term aging, but clearly I've re-thought this dogma and gained new-found respect for the line. Thankfully, I have several other examples from this era, which I'm now looking even more forward to.
Anyway, I'm not sure where else I'm going with this, other than to suggest that we all keep a more open mind about what is and isn't a good candidate for long-term aging. While much of the "power", or strength of the cigar had been lost to the years, what it lacked in punch was more than made up for by nuance.
In a word, I loved it!
Thanks for watching ;-)