Here I am again, late as usual with my weekly post. It seems like I’m always apologizing… but then again, you guys keep coming back, so I must be doing something right. You’ll probably be glad to see that I’ve actually got a video uploaded this week. I recorded this first impressions clip last Thursday, but a combination of house guests over the weekend and a 16-hour workday yesterday prevented me from posting it until now. And, boy is it a good one.

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that I’m a huge fan of almost everything Gary Griffith produces. Gary was my local tobacconist when I was living in Delaware, so I was a bit spoiled to be able to watch the meteoric rise of his Emilio Cigars brand up close and personal. We still keep in touch from time to time, and a week or so ago Gary sent me a few samples for a couple different cigars he’s been working on. One of these was the La Musa Melete, second in the La Musa line following Mousa (formerly known as Grimalkin). The sample I received from Gary looked absolutely amazing, and I was very eager to try out his latest creation, so I lit it up as soon as I had a chance to sit down in front of the camera.

La Musa Melete by the numbers:
Vitola: robusto
Size: 5×50 (estimated)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
No. smoked for review: 1 (first impressions)
Duration: 90 minutes
Source: review sample
MSRP: $7.80
Website: www.emiliocigars.com
Twitter: @EmilioCigar
Facebook: Emilio Cigars

Did La Musa Melete live up to my high expectations? Watch the video to find out…

(Video length: 14:06)

Soundtrack: “Re-Acting” by dr_gore2000 http://ccmixter.org/files/dr_gore2000/6173
is licensed under a Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

I honestly don’t think I could have been more impressed by how well La Musa Melete smoked. The construction was flawless; the flavors were rich, complex, and captivating; and I savored every minute of the cigar from beginning to end. Granted, this “first impressions” review was based on only a single sample, but if every one of these is consistently as good as the first one I smoked, Gary’s got another winner on his hands and will have a hard time keeping them in stock. I know I’ll be grabbing several as soon as I find them in a cigar shop’s humidor.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!