Final one, the torpedo. Put this last because I don't like the shape, and I don't have a straight cutter right now. Cut the cap with my pocket knife.
Appearance is fair, some larger veins, seams visible, fairly large stems visible in the pack after cutting the head.
Cold draw is dry mowed hay. Sneezed afterwards.
First light is woody, dry. Draw is perfect, somewhat sweet finish. I'll grab a couple beers and settle in, I'm gambling on getting an on-call instead of going in tonight. Leaving for Florida and would like to get reset to sleep nights up days before we leave.
Half inch in, the initial light bite has eased, and it's fairly simple smoke so far. Still dry, woody, with a pepper bite up front on retrohale that gradually fades to a sweeter charred oak flavor. Maybe cherry, some leather like flavor. Small draws help reduce the bite.
Ash holding tight, no flakes. Walked away to pee and it was still fully lit when I returned.
Retrohale is a bit much, very biting pepper up front. But it does open up the finish. Nice sweet smoky caramel burnt sugar kinda makes me think of those canned/bottled Starbucks drinks.
I'm pegging this midrange. The first was the premium, second was a yard gar, and this one is in the middle. If this were my preferred go-to for an average smoke, I could see where the yard gar of the 3 fits in a similar flavor profile.
Ash is still on at a good 2" even getting set down a few times, and walked away from it twice. Nope. Just fell off when I picked it up. Still, no flakes on my flannel shirt.
Really not getting any changes in flavor. Maybe a bit more cherry/fruit sweetness on the finish but still a low-volume retro does help open it up - I just need to stifle a sneeze each time I do.
Mostly woodsy flavors, with a bite on retrohale that fades to a fleeting fruity sweetness.
Not among my favorites, but I like it more than number two. They're very similar, with this one feeling more "refined" to me. Not so much astringency, a bit nicer finish.
About ready to wrap up and go to bed. Still going with midrange here. It didn't get better or worse. A lot more pepper flavors than I care for. But in its defense, I also did not eat any spicy food when I got home. May just be noticing it more because of that. The last two were smoked after eating jalapeños on my morning taco. Mouthfeel on this one is right in the middle as well. Drier than I prefer, but not as bad as the last one. Didn't make me feel like I had cotton mouth, but didn't make me salivate.
Thank you sir, now spill the beans on what they were.