Noob Reviews #7: Dunhill Aged
Noob Reviews: A new smoker’s guide to the best beginner smokes
Every once in a while you need to treat yourself, and today’s review is about doing just that. This cigar is a step up from the usual day-to-day lot on Noob Reviews. Dunhill is one of the most elegant and respected brands among premium sticks, getting deserved attention from Winston Churchill and King George VI during their beginnings in London. While my name is a drop in the bucket compared to those smoking giants, I’d like to offer my humble take on this seductive smoke.
The golden-blonde Connecticut wrapper is gorgeous and on its own is enough to make you salivate. Inside are deliciously smooth Piloto Cubano and Olor tobaccos harvested in the Dominican Republic’s Cibao Valley. Dunhill then takes one step further and ages the cigars in a unique, cedar-lined room. A sleek and vibrant band adorns all of this and eagerly invites you in.
The wrapper felt like new suede to the touch and the stick sprung back to form when squeezed, like a resilient putty. Everything about this cigar, from the construction to the band, makes every moment not smoking it painful. Excited but careful not to rush my rituals, I took a breath in through my nose and got aromas of caramel, syrup, and faint, fermented earth. The cold draw harbored sweet, wet tobacco and dry wood.
I put a flame to the foot and was greeted by wood and vegetal flavors with a touch of red pepper. Despite the firm draw, its smoke output was impressive. The wood quickly developed into a creamy cedar that took over the profile. Not only did it taste creamy, but had a body to match as well. Abruptly, the ash fell away before it even got to an inch, which is rare for a cigar of this caliber.
Marking the transition into the 2nd third was a delicious but fleeting note of banana cream pie. After I came to terms with its passing, the cigar soothed my sorrow with a hearty earth taste, reminiscent of the cold draw, and a subtle citrus overtone. The flavors in this stick were dense, yet contained; every flavor had room. Round two of the ash was a different story; now I couldn’t shake the damn thing off.
Further along, just the right amount of sweetness entered the profile and I started getting a massive wallop of cream on each puff. The cigar started to develop very strong punches on the finish that continually evolved. All kinds of hints came out of this welcome display: coffee, chocolate, barnyard, and even coconut, a first for me. I often get asked by noobs if I really taste that much flavor in a cigar. I can see how people would be skeptical, but the fact is that some passing notes are there for just one precious puff. If you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss it. If you catch it, you’ll be reminded that you’re enjoying all the complexity that Earth has to offer.
The Dunhill Aged has often been described as possessing a classic Dominican profile: smooth and mellow. That it does. If I ever do a “best-of” for Noob Reviews, you can bet your behind this will be on it. Smokers can tire of hearing “creamy Connecticut wrapper” over and over, but this stick proves that they’re not all boring. If you’re looking for an easygoing cigar with plenty of complexity, look no further.
