I don't mind getting "free swag" from either the tobacco store, or via my friends at the nearby American Legion. These are wonderful "perks," although I joke, its just a slight refund from the cigars I pay for. Last night I decided to finally get around, to the Baccarat King that's been sitting in my humidor for some time. With some age, I figured that it might be a bit stronger in body, but its a typical one from this company known for very mild cigars. No matter how you dress it, the punch is non-existent, and that is strange from a company from Honduras. This might be a good beginner smoke, but for me I almost fell asleep with it.

First of all, this is a fairly pretty cigar. I do appreciate the craftsmanship, and the dark maduro wrapper. There was plenty of time under the sun, and the hand rolling process was done with considerable effort. Yet what I'm looking for with a maduro cigar, is some sugary sweetness, along with notes of dark chocolate. Those were not here, and while there were some hints of nuts, there was nothing else I could distinguish. I puffed away on it, hoping that perhaps it would improve with time, but this 8x52 stick just continued to "ramble on."

A boring highway it was, and I cannot think of any reason to have one of these. Even a new man or woman to the game, might be fighting off the "Z monster," with this particular cigar. To its credit, along with the appearance, the construction was decent enough. I liked how the tobacco was packed tight, yet there was still plenty of smoke volume. There were no issues with the draw, and no defects that I was able to find. That alone is pretty good, considering that cigars from this company, are on the inexpensive side.

The cigar was able to extend the ash. I easily got 3" of it on the end. That is pretty incredible, and a testament to the work done. Whomever is working on this line, should be praised for that, but the mild maduro and lack of flavor is a killer for this one. I don't mind a change of pace sometimes, but this just lacks any character. The total time to smoke it was almost an hour, because I gave up finally close to the end. You could probably get a little more than sixty minutes with this, but the lack of anything distinctive, makes it a waste of time.

How did the lighting go? That was fairly easy, although I've found cigars, with similar ring gauges a bit less challenging. This one will require a triple butane, if you do have it. As for the cutting, there were no problems, but this one didn't seem to have the "sugar cap" that the company is known for. To my knowledge, no other manufacturers have that. I missed that, because I think its a neat touch. My recommendation is avoid this sleeping beauty, because while it looks good, it just is not worthy to relax with.

Recommended: No

Cigar Name: Baccarat King
Cigar Rating: Don''t bother
Price per cigar ($US): gift