Pledge - Prequel

O box-pressed one, dark as the earth before rain, you arrived in my hand like a promise— heavy, patient, sealed in blue and copper, the bands of a legacy that began long before this flame. You are not merely tobacco. You are the third chapter, the final verse of a trilogy that began with history and rose to encore. And now you—Pledge— the culmination of fifty years of hands that have never stopped believing in leaf and fire. When I drew you close, your wrapper—Connecticut Habano— glistened like a river at dusk, toothy and dark, hiding secrets within its folds. Your cold breath whispered of molasses and salt, of cocoa and bark, of things ancient and sacred. Then the flame descended. O Prequel, you began like a storm— pepper and spice crashing against the palate, demanding attention, asking if I was worthy of what would follow. And when the pepper subsided, like thunder rolling into the distance, what remained was a revelation: creamy cedar and coffee, caramel sweetness on the breath, the slow unfolding of wood and leather, of dark cocoa and espresso, of chocolate-covered almonds that melt into memory. You are dense, my friend— compressed like the finest chocolate, heavy in the hand, substantial in the soul. Your ash grows white and firm, a monument to construction, falling only when it chooses, never before its time. And as you burn— slowly, deliberately, past an hour and into the next— you teach me patience. You teach me that greatness does not shout forever; it whispers, it unfolds, it becomes. In your final third, you gather yourself like a symphony approaching its close: baking cocoa and nuts, spice renewed, a finish that lingers long after the smoke has vanished. You are the cigar for eternity, they say. For moments that take your breath away— in grief or in celebration— you stand anchor, companion, witness. O Pledge - Prequel, you are not just a cigar. You are a handshake across generations, a promise kept in every draw, a testament that some things— rolled with love, aged with patience, lit with intention— can still, in this hurried world, take us home.

Stunning stick. Almost worthy of that 98 rating. Cigar was beautifully dressed up, drew perfectly and evolved wonderfully throughout the thirds. Will buy again and recommend.

I cannot believe it's been this long in my enjoyment of cigars before I got to try this. It is without a doubt the nicest stogie I've had... EVER! Beautiful dark chocolate right at light up and through the whole smoke. A lovely sweetness as well - I want to say vanilla and caramel, with nice cedar mixed in there too. I will buy this as often as I possibly can; it is truly worthy of all the praise and following it has achieved! WOW!