The Thunder by Nimish Patel vitola up for review is a 5×50 Robusto provided by TrueTobacco.com with an attractive knot at the head. Its initial impression is that of a spice market.
Thunder:
Size: 5×50
The Thunder gives off a nice hay and slightly ginger smell on initial impression. The pre-light draw is medium–not too firm, not too free. The cigar has a long, well-built shoulder and the top of the cigar is drawn into a small knot so cutting it is a breeze and it doesn’t peel as you smoke.
The five examples I got all had the same flavor palate and were very consistent. At the initial light, you get a green peppercorn and a touch of ginger and anise. The cigar has a feel almost like a spice market–as you go through the cigar, the flavor skews, and each puff gives off a slightly different overtone. It’s a very delightful and innovative blend. The cigar is quite punchy though, and definitely qualifies as a medium full to full flavor. All but one of my examples required minor touch up on the burn, but I attribute that to the fact that I received some very fresh cigars and I would certainly let these sit for a while in a humidor to develop–I got a cold after the first two examples and had to wait to review the other three, and just the week that I had to let them sit improved the burn and mellowed the flavors significantly,
The ash is a nice pure white, and doesn’t want to fall off. It’s certainly well constructed. The peppercorn mellows out through the first and into the second third, letting the more subtle spices come through. I could taste notes of ginger, sage, cardamom, oregano, and star anise on the palate and some notes that were floral in nature on retrohale. But around the halfway point, the cigar picks back up, and the peppercorn flavor with a little bit of leathery feel and oiliness becomes the prime flavor for the rest of the cigar. I’d love to say that it kept that beautiful dynamic through the last third, but in some examples the last 3/4 inch of the cigar was pretty overpowering with its flavor. That’s not to knock it entirely–the flavor was fresh on the palate, and had a nice crispness to it instead of a muted overtone.
All in all, I would recommend this to someone who wants an experience with a cigar that’s got a lot of interesting spice notes and likes a good, robust cigar. I can’t say I’ve smoked anything quite like it and I really think that just for that first half where it is more delicate and has the dynamic flavors it’s worth the price of admission.
This review does not necessarily reflect the views of TrueTobacco.com, who provided the cigars for this review. This review may not be reprinted without express permission except by TrueTobacco.com and the employees of TrueTobacco.com. This and other cigars can be purchased in boxes and convenient 5 packs at TrueTobacco.com by clicking on any of the links.
