Smoked: Caldwell Lost & Found Instant Classic

Smoked at: West Chester, Ohio

Medium strength. Medium body. There’s one long vein in the smooth, silky wrapper. Good construction. The burn line was somewhat inconsistent, but it only needed a couple of touchups. The white ash held tight throughout. Even difficult to roll off the ash. It may have been held on with Gorilla Glue. Finally had to tap it off. As with many Caldwells, the Instant Classic puts out a generous volume of smoke.

The Instant Classic is a decent, pleasant stick with fair complexity, spice, some pepper, wood, a little sweet cream (more like milk) and coffee notes (but maybe it’s from pairing it with coffee). I'm still at a loss as to whether the Instant Classic pairs better with coffee or whiskey. I would probably pair it with The Balvenie Doublewood 12 or an Oban 14 to balance the flavors as an evening smoke. A 20-Year tawny port or d'Usse cognac would make for an interesting pairing as well. Maybe next time.