Black Label
Memento Mori
Lonsdale
James Brown, has accustomed us to full-bodied cigars and in
close connection with his life, I think that this Memento Mori will be in the
same categories.
Who doesn't know the phrase Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant? But here it is of another
death that James speaks to us; we are far from the gladiators and the arenas of
Rome, he speaks to us of our death which approaches each day.
In fact, he explains that he lost his parents at a very
young age, and that this pain made him realize that life can be short and that
one must not only live it to the fullest, but also fight for one's dreams and
achieve one's goals. Every day you wake up is a gift but what about tomorrow?
This is the meaning behind the choice of the name of this
line Memento Mori which translates into Remember
that you will die.
As usual, James opts for only 3 modules (two marketed in
Belgium: Robusto and Lonsdale). James explains again that at the beginning it
was a factory cigar, but that he liked it so much that he wanted to share it
with the amateurs that we are.
Beware for the continuation, this cigar is strictly
forbidden to hay smokers, beginners and people who have nothing on their
stomach, as my friend Yves Bran would say: it starts strong and it still rises
in power.
I have a really black wrapper with a ring, which I would call traditional for those who know Black Label cigars. It is black and white with its famous skull and crossbones and the name of the range.
What appeals to the smoker that I am, and indeed many of my
friends, is the watch on the side. It looks like a pocket watch with a stopwatch.
The hands are stopped at 7:29.
But why this time? It must be significant because even the
brand's patent states: a clock with a
dial between the two (NDA the skull and bones), whose hands indicate approximately the time 7:29.
Angela Brown is going to give me the answer: This cigar has a great personal meaning, but
not the precise time indicated. I hope I didn't disappoint you too much.
On a personal note, in fact if you look closely, this clock
or watch does not have a winding mechanism as it did in the past. It reminds me
more of an hourglass of time; the time that keeps running out towards the
moment planned for our Great Journey. I think that the time has been frozen by
the drawing but that in reality the hands turn non-stop and that the clock goes
in the opposite direction and counts down our time second by second.
It's time for me to embark on the little alchemical death
that should come from this tasting.
So I make a straight cut, I set the foot on fire and it lights
up like a torch in the night.
The smoke is coming. I take the opportunity to tell you that
I did not voluntarily make a raw draw because I know ± what awaits me and I
want to keep the surprise of the discovery. This one brings me a surprising
mixture: I find black pepper from the beginning of my tasting, but also cocoa and
a beautiful sensation of prunes.
This vitola is a bold concept, especially since on
retro-olfaction the pepper becomes more mellow, white pepper and we also find
cinnamon.
So far, everything is going just right and perfect, sublime
balance, perfect draw and burn. I am in a medium-strong intensity.
My tasting continues gently because it is not really the kind
of cigar that we devour: we must take our time, not forgetting that if life
passes by, we must also enjoy its good moments.
I leave the cocoa to enter a vast expanse of dark chocolate
minimum 75%, fatty earth, caramel, cinnamon and always the strong persistent
pepper (red pepper).
The intensity leaves the medium zone to enter the strong one
and brings with it the palette of flavors which is certainly not very varied, but
this is clearly compensated by its balance and its richness.
I am already out of time for a while, not in my memories but
more in a modified state of consciousness. Time is still passing but it has no
impact on my sensations, I am zen, calm and relaxed.
This is quite paradoxical with such a powerful cigar but
yes, it relaxes me; or maybe it's the dose of Nicotine that confuses my brain
into a absorbent cotton cocoon.
Just as I'm about to burn my moustache, I land and the magic
is broken, but the flavors will remain for quite some time.
My three tastings were done on a Lonsdale format of 16.51 cm
for a cepo of 46.
Wrapper : Maduro Broadleaf Pennsylvania (U.S.A.)
Binder : Habano (Ecuador)
Filler: Nicaragua
In conclusion: another great cigar elaborated by James Brown
which will delight all the informed amateurs who seek sensations in a certain
power.
I can't wait to discover the Robusto version, but in the
meantime, I'll definitely have a few copies of this very good Lonsdale in
stock.
And I can only invite you to do as I did, to go to your
civet shop to discover this cigar and make your own discovery.
Price at the time of writing: 16.90€.
Feel free to leave me your tasting impressions under this
article.