Highclere Castle Edwardian

Highclere Castle Edwardian corona is what I imagine Victorian England was like – from a London Gentleman’s club gin and cigar perspective circa 1870.

Excellent construction – ample smoke output, tight white ash that held firm to two inches. The ash just kept building. I couldn’t roll it off or tap it off until the two inch mark. Lyndon Johnson described this once referencing a Texas hailstorm…but I digress. The burn line was darn near perfect - one small touch up. Perfect cold draw, which drew a little hot toward the nub. That was my fault rushing trying to finish enjoying it as the temperature dropped and the breeze picked up. Mea culpe. So no points off on the rating of the cigar. The smoker, on the other hand, may have to be sent to a summer school remedial course in cigar fundamentals.

Flavors abound: cedar, cream, almonds, some coffee & vanilla, a touch of licorice on a few puffs, nice complexity and well balanced finely aged tobacco. I probably missed some flavor notes during a few puffs. There’s so much going on here.

Medium-mild body and strength. Midway through the first third the cigar convinced me to add some coffee to the experience. I politely obliged the request. This is an excellent morning coffee pairing. Try a cup of Costa Rican Tarrazu or Columbian Antioquia with this stick…or go basic and old school with a dark Columbian from the grocery store - something Juan Valdez would approve. The retrohale was rather mild – light pepper, earth and nuts – not at all abrasive.

Highclere Castle Edwardian is a delicate work of art - smooth as silk – and the adjective that comes to mind to sum it all up is – luxurious. For an hour, I was in Downton Abbey. The Victorians knew engineering and construction and it extended to their cigars. Foundation borrowed a page from that time and place. Highclere Castle Edwardian is a masterfully blended cigar.

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