Paul Stulac Black Midnight Fire

Overall Score

1 review for Paul Stulac Black Midnight Fire

  1. R**

    Paul Stulac Black Midnight Fire

    Origin : Miami, FloridaPaul Stulac
    Format : Torpedo
    Size : 6 x 54
    Wrapper : Ecuadorian
    Filler : Nicaragua
    Binder : Sumatran
    Hand-Made
    Price : ~$12 each

    Black Midnight Fire was one of three cigars debuted by boutique cigar manufacturer Paul Stulac at IPCPR in 2012 (the others were White Blinding Light and Red Screaming Sun). Previously I tried Red Screaming Sun, which retails in a similar price range. I enjoyed the flavors a lot, but was displeased with some construction issues. I also tasted the Classic Lord of Albany, a cheaper smoke that I thoroughly enjoyed. I gave the Black Midnight Fire a whirl to see how it measured up. They are hand-rolled by Guillermo Pena in Miami (something you don’t run into every day in the world of premium cigars).

    Appearance : [rating:4/5]
    The poetic name of these cigars must be a descriptor for the flavors, because the appearance isn’t dark; the wrapper is a rich reddish brown. There are some very prominent veins as well as some prominent tooth (something I have seen on other Paul Stulac cigars). It’s very oily and shiny. The tooth and the prominent veins make for a very rustic appearance. If that’s your thing, you’ll love it. If not, you’ll have to look past it.

    Construction : [rating:5/5]
    Happily I did not have any construction problems with this smoke. In fact, it was pretty much perfect! The draw was ideal, and the burn line was pretty straight. I couldn’t get over how long the ash hung on either. This cigar smokes pretty slowly, which is nice, since you really get to relax into this one and enjoy it.

    Flavor : [rating:3/5]
    Okay, so maybe “relax” isn’t the word I should have used. This is actually what I would have imagined from a cigar named “Red Screaming Sun” more than “Black Midnight Fire.” It is hot. You get this huge blast of spice right from the beginning. It’s a peppery explosion. Somewhere in the background I think there is something else going on, but I can’t make out any other notes under that fiery blast.

    Eventually the spice starts to calm down and a dark sweetness emerges, thick and heavy like molasses; perhaps this is the inspiration for the rest of the name. During the middle third, a surprising creamy note emerges and the spice moves further to the background. There is something dark and fruity here along with a dash of dark chocolate. Halfway, I get another peppery blast. This moves to the background again in the final third, but it makes a couple more comebacks before the end.

    There is no denying that I can wrap my mind around the naming concept; this really is a dark, rich, smooth cigar punctuated by bursts of fire. Unfortunately I find those explosions of spice a little distracting. They’re interesting, but are they enjoyable? Maybe if you really dig spice.

    Value : [rating:3/5]
    At around $12 each, these cigars will cost you. I think I would feel better about the price if I enjoyed the spice explosions more. As it is, I enjoyed this cigar for its novelty, but I don’t think I could be tempted to buy a box.

    Overall Rating : [rating:3.25/5] (3.25)
    I recognize that rating cigars is a highly subjective activity, and I know my tastes aren’t everyone’s. This is definitely an interesting cigar, and if you love spiciness, you will definitely want to snag one of these. If however you are like me, you might find it a bit intense and distracting.

    [sz]paul stulac classic lord[/sz]

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