I had the lovely opportunity to smoke an Ashton Symmetry Prism this past weekend, and due to a flashy summer storm, also had a chance to admire the quality of this cigar.
While we Floridians do get accustomed to the daily storm, lately the weather had been doing the rainy bit earlier in the day. This particular weekend decided to wait to throw a doozy of a weather system at us just as it was prime cigar time.
This is just a summer storm, not even a tropical depression. So, lots of bangs and flashes from the thunder and the lightning. We started our cigars on under an umbrella, so I got a few moments to admire the Ashton I was gifted.
Since this cigar was donated to my education in cigars, I won’t go into the location at which it was purchased. The cigar ring is very regal, and certainly eye catching. It’s made a great addition to my collection. The smell of the unlit cigar is leathery, oaky, with notes of vanilla and coffee. It cuts nicely, and lights very evenly. The first draw is stronger on the oak side, the hints of vanilla and leather entwining with the smoke that lingers and twists in the air soothingly.
Just as I started to get a good foot going, the lightning of the aforementioned storm started to get a little too close for comfort. This required a hasty retreat to a more covered location to finish cigar time with my friends. I had to prop my cigar in my heirloom cigar ashtray, move from one side of the house to another, and then arrange a few things to sit back down before I could finish my smoke. This probably worked out to be a ten minute process. This photo is a blurry image of the foot as I was getting my accessories arranged to move to a safer seat.
Not only was this a pretty nice foot– the cigar stayed lit that full ten minutes it took to get settled again. I didn’t even have to draw heavily to continue the smoke, it was as though I had just set it down for a moment. I’ve had some cigars that would lose their ember if I let it linger for more than a few minutes– barely enough time to get a drink refill. This allowed me to continue to enjoy the cigar where I had left off. The Symmetry is a beautiful smoke through and through– at the midpoint the oak gets a hint of cedar and a bit more of a leather aroma to it, finishing with a delightful mix of leather and oak with a suggestion of coffee. I can see why this is a highly ranked and recommended cigar, as well as the go-to label for the friend who gave it to me. The Ashton Symmetry is definitely a winner.