Cigar Rating Experiment – Part IX

A bundle of Flor de Oliva Gold Toro cigars have now been aging in a humidor for five months. These cigars have significantly improved since the first test, and now appear to have reached a new plateau. However, only future tests will reveal if this latest blip was only an aberration, or if these cigars really deserve four stars out of a possible five. Other factors can affect the taste and enjoyment of a particular cigar, and my accompanying drink certainly may have had an effect this month. I rarely drink expensive French wine, but I made an exception during this holiday season. The Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal Pauillac 2002 was extremely smooth, flavorful and complex, but I decided to attempt enhancing the experience even further with a fine cigar. After carefully examining the contents of my humidor, I did not choose an expensive nor fuller bodied cigar to accompany the wine, but the inexpensive mild-to-medium Flor de Oliva test cigars were the ones that caught my eye. I could not have made a better selection, as the cigar accompanied the wine magnificently, and elevated the tastes on my palate to a level that I have only previously imagined possible. The cigar did not overpower the taste of the wine, but was extremely smooth, creamy and mellow, making for the perfect companion. And all this added enjoyment from a cigar that costs less than $2. I can only hope that this stick will taste as good with a cold beer next month.

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^{Illustration: 2006 © Gary Manelski Licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Here are the results of previous taste tests,

• Part I – Right Out of the Package (no aging)



• Part II – Aged One Week



• Part III – Aged Two Weeks



• Part IV – Aged Three Weeks



• Part V – Aged Four Weeks



• Part VI – Aged Two Months



• Part VII – Aged Three Months



• Part VIII – Aged Four Months