Cigar Extra: RoMa Craft CroMagnon Atlatl

Atlatl (Lancero), 7" x 38 ring gauge / event only

Fitting that the first time writing about cigars since the Chattanooga Tweetup* should be about a cigar I got at the event...not only that, but a cigar that was part of the first night's festivities, the Lancero addition to the CroMagnon line produced in limited quantities for events like we had. And I paired it with Chattanooga Whiskey 1816 Cask, another sponsor of the Tweetup. Skip Martin told me these are made without molds, just rolled in newspaper to keep the bunching even. I know the wrapper was typical of CroMag...glistening with oil and redolent of leather and earth. The prelight draw was a little snug, but rich and sweet with lots of berry notes.

Lighting up was the real treat, though, as the CroMag Atlatl exploded with earth, cocoa powder, coffee and dried fruit flavor notes, along with a nice mild pepper burn on the retrohale. Through the first third, the draw was just a little more snug than I would prefer, but the flavor was just outstanding. If you follow Skip and me on Twitter you will know that we don't always see eye to eye on politics (he's wrong, of course), but his palate for blending cigars is awesome.

The draw loosened up a bit in the second half of the Atlatl and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The 1816 Cask was a perfect accompaniment, too, with its mixture of sweetness and spiciness. The only problem with the CroMagnon Atlatl is...availability. At the moment it is only an event cigar, which means you will only find it at the relatively few shops that carry CroMagnon at those seldom occurrences when they are having events. Skip says about making this a regular release: "Perhaps down the road." My vote is in...I'll take a box!

*This wasn't the first thing to post after the Tweet-Up, but it was the first thing written after the Tweet-Up.