Kurt Kendal 's 7-20-4

Size: 5 5/8 X 46
Shape: 7-20-4
Origin: Honduras
Body: Medium - Full
Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Columbia
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Mexican
Smoke Clock: 1 hr

7-20-4 Cigars

It was a clear and breezy day in the city when a man, clad only in blue jeans and a light jacket, crept outdoors onto the terrace of his apartment building to stealthily enjoy his cigar. What was the cigar that crept along with him, you might ask. Why none other than K.A. Kendall’s 7-20-4.

With finesse he flicked open his torch lighter, providing flame to fuel the burning beauty he so sought. As the fumes rose high, the first impressions he received were of leather and caramel. Both of these notes carried through the first quarter of this stick, dancing around each other in a mysterious tango full of beauty and seduction.

He puffed with decadence, allowing the breeze to waft and carry away the smokey tendrils as he blew into the passing wind. Delight carried him along as the leather and caramel notes from the first quarter had carried over into the second. But wait, interrupting his solitude and harmony came a note of bitterness which slowly overcame the previous beauty of the blend.

This bitterness continued into the third quarter of his smoke, disturbing him deeply. Suddenly, a dark toasted caramel note appeared, support by some light compost. Sadly, both of these delectable notes surfaced deep within the profile, allowing the bitterness to maintain dominance through the end of the stick.

In defense of this stick, the man justified that the bitterness aspired to become coffee and chocolate notes. However, the amount of bitterness was just too much and he finally set the stick down.

Despite the rough ending to his smoke, the man found 7-20-4 to be satisfying up to the mid-point and hung onto the pleasure he experienced then. Considering a second attempt in the future, he snuck his way back indoors, away from the bitter memory of the 7-20-4’s end and onto other tasty conquests.

Rating:
Presentation: 8/10 – The band is lovely and classic and an excellent reproduction of the original band on the original 7-20-4 from the early 1900s. A cedar sleeve is nice for aging, but, in this reviewer’s opinion, not for presentation. Sure, it looks nice, but it obscures what I really want to see: the wrapper.

Appearance: 8/10 – Upon removal of the cedar sleeve, a beautiful dark brown, oily, and toothy wrapper is revealed. The color on the wrapper is consistent, 1 vein runs the length of the cigar, and the oily sheen is simply mouth watering.

Construction: 32/35 – This stick was firm throughout with no soft or hard spots, the draw was very good, and the burn very even. Nice construction.

Flavor: 35/45 – Prelight notes were vegetal with earth and caramel in the background. The first 2 quarters were great until a powerful bitter note crept in and muddied up the whole experience. After reading a few other reviews, I am surprised by this, as no one else seems to have had an experience like this.

Overall: 82/100 – This stick was well constructed, presented a beautiful wrapper, and provided a great smoke through nearly the first half of the cigar. The second half really messed it up for me. I am seriously considering trying another as no one else seems to have had an experience like mine. I’m willing to chalk it up to random chance, but can’t in good conscience give this stick a score based on presumption. I’d recommend giving this stick a try though. Even if you wind up having a similar experience to mine, the first half is totally worth it.

-DH