Last year I had the opportunity to enjoy the blends from Wilson and Adams, and although they were very good introductory cigars, the company jumped the bar this year with the introduction of the Mr. Wilson.
I have to smile about that name as it conjures up memories of Dennis the Menace cartoons and TV show back when all we had was a black and white television, powered with vacuum tubes. Mr. Wilson was the character that Dennis always inadvertently tormented. I still like to watch that show even today, it was such a classic. Ok I digressed there a bit so let’s get back to this new Wilson and Adams cigar which may very well be a classic itself.
The Mr. Wilson is the latest blend from this small boutique company based out of California. Announced in April of 2015, the Mr. Wilson is the first limited production by Wilson and Adams. It was officially released on May 19th, which, not coincidentally, is the birthday of Brandon Wilson the company owner.
The Mr. Wilson is available in one vitola, a 6 1/8 X 52 torpedo. Production was limited to 2500 total cigars and was the first non collaborative effort for the company.
Examining the Mr. Wilson you can see the pride in this creation with its tightly wrapped, slightly marbled, Mexican wrapper. The seams are tight and the cap has a pencil point finish. The binder is non-disclosed and the filler is primarily Nicaraguan leaf.
The band in this cigar is a simple elegant design depicting the Wilson and Adams logo. It has a secondary band that declares this as the Mr.Wilson.
Mr. Wilson
The sniff test reveals an earthy aroma on the foot and a well fermented aroma along the barrel. So far this is starting out to be a fine creation from a construction perspective.
Being a torpedo, I decided to open it up by cutting a little more than 1/8 of an inch opening. The dry draw from that cut was tight to start but offered notes of earth and sweet fruit. One of the best features of a torpedo vitola is that it allows the smoker to control the draw. It always bothers me when someone cuts the whole taper of a torpedo – they might as well buy a toro then.
This was the first cigar of the day and it was a wonderful morning on the Stogie Press deck to enjoy it. It has been unseasonably hot in Central Florida this December but the mornings are still a comfortable and dry 74 degrees. Perfect cigar smoking weather; if you ask me.
As I fired up the Mr. Wilson I was wacked with a good dose of pepper that loosened up the morning nose. That small cut was perfect as the smoke is coming in well and the cigar is burning fine.
The pepper shock settled down and a lingering spice note develops along with coffee that evolves into an espresso bean note.
I cued up some Mark Knoplfer radio as I sampled this delightful cigar – such mellow tunes for a Sunday morning. I still have a weeks worth of vacation and this week we will have a “staycation” in our beautiful Florida home smoking cigars and just relaxing before getting back to the grind in January.
The espresso bean is getting wrapped in dark chocolate notes reminding me of chocolate covered espresso beans. Ever have those? They are delicious just like the Mr. Wilson.
As I sit here in the morning sun I am admiring the slight reddish hue to the wrapper. The smoke has a nice creamy texture to it and the burn has only a slight wave that quickly fixes itself. The developing ash is salt and pepper in color and holds tight.
By the end of the first half I am getting mouthfuls of delicious smoke and the oils start to enter now making the wrapper glisten in the morning sun. A dried currant component enters the profile followed by a touch of white pepper.
The ash fell just shy of the secondary band revealing a perfect burn cone on the foot. To say this is well constructed cigar would be an understatement. The smoke had smoothed out at this point delivering a bitter dark chocolate and nut flavor. The strength is medium plus at this point. I will have to age one of these for a few months to see how it develops, but so far it is a fine smoke.
The spice continues in the final third along with a sweet cedar. The aroma has also developed a delectable sweetness.
The sugary sweetness continues to slide into the mix tempering the spice and cedar. I take it down to the nub as it is too good to let die. The Mr. Wilson finishes with white pepper and a delicious maple syrup aroma.
Mr. Wilson
Total smoking time was and hour and 20 minutes.
Brandon Wilson was kind enough to send me samples of this delightful, limited production cigar. I believe this would be a great regular production cigar if he can secure the leaf on a consistent basis.
Mr. Wilson