How good is your knowledge of Greek mythology?
Yes, we all know about the heavy hitters such as Zeus and his Olympian brothers, Poseidon and Hades. We may know about Gaia and Demeter and others whose names have landed a place in popular culture.
But what about Prometheus, the god of forethought, who created mankind but got on the wrong side of Zeus in the battles between the Titans and the Olympians.?
So great was his perfidy that Zeus condemned him to be chained to a rock and have his liver picked out by an eagle.
As a Titan, Prometheus was immortal, so crafty Zeus would have his liver restored every night, only to have it plucked out again the next day. This happened for many years, until Hercules came to his rescue.
The makers of Don Carlos cigars, descended from the iconic Arturo Fuentes, decided to honour Prometheus by naming a cigar after him. Entitled God of Fire, this premium cigar pays homage to the Promethean gift of fi re to humans.
The first thing you notice about this cigar is the artistic label. A stylized painting of Prometheus in his peril is depicted on the band. Poor Prometheus gazes in agony at the cursed eagle. Despite the painting’s tragic mood, the band still looks impressive.
Now for the construction. You could not find a flaw no matter how hard you tried.
At $21.00 a stick, I’d expect nothing less. The cigar is very smooth to the touch, with a nice smell of coffee and rich tobacco.
In the cigar world, Don Carlos is known for its posh stogies. I have never had one before, so it should be interesting to see how they measure up.
What to drink? Well, since they called it God of Fire, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. Rather than be unprepared for extreme spice, I decided to drink water on ice with a lime wedge.
I light the cigar: the flavor starts out subtle. I get a spice I can’t quite put my finger on. Definitely has an east Indian influence. This mystery spice is mixed with cream, so over all it has a nice balance.
The second third, the spice is a bit stronger, with some earthy wood; the cream remains. I am pleasantly surprised that this cigar has such a longlasting cream palate. I thought some heavy spice would kick in somewhere.
The last third, there is cinnamon. The cigar sort of tastes like spiced eggnog. Toward the very end there is some cayenne pepper, with cream.
I can honestly say I was not expecting this cigar to have a permanent cream fl avor as the base. With a name like God of Fire, I am curious to know why they chose to go with something on the medium side.
I also thought the flavours would be more complex. The flavour wheel seemed a bit bland, in the sense that it lacked variety.
I would have expected more from the Don Carlos line. However, the cigar itself is not bad. If you didn’t know it was from Don Carlos it would be enjoyable.
But once you know, your expectations go through the roof. This is only because of the fine name they have built for themselves.
Would I smoke this again?
Yes, but only if given to me.
Next time around I would pair it with some kind of liquour. The lime water was a fresh taste and went fine with the cigar, but now I know I’m not going to get a mouthful of mind-numbing spice, I think cognac would be a better choice.
