Thank goodness for cheapskates like us, yeah, that means you and me there kid-o.  The chieftains at Graycliff rarely feast on our hard-earned dollars.  $300 for a box of cigars...whoa sonny....that just ain't in my appetite of daily cigar pleasures.  I think they finally realized that the bargain barrel, odd-lot shoppers just won't shell out that kind of mortgage payment on cigars.  Enter the everyman's Graycliff, the new 'G2'.  OK, it's not exactly new, but I finally ponied up the guts to try what many have termed "Graycliff's lower-end cigar".  Call me a sissy, worse things have touched my lips, but I simply didn't want to tempt my delicate palate with a potential atrocity that would scar me for life. 

I picked up a 5-er of the Toros, and they look pretty darn scrumptious.  A beautiful Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut wrapper (but to the less-than-skilled master-magician hairy Gonz eyeball, sure looks like a true Connecticut to me).  Firm in the fingertips, a quick clip and light jumpstarted my newest carnival ride.  Immediately, I'm intrigued by a peppery and lingering finish which exploded on the front tongue, very surprising from what I thought would be an uber-mellow powder puff.  I then expected it to disappear within a few draws, but it didn't.  I'm two full ash-drops in (each about 3/4" - not bad, eh?) and the finish continues to linger.  The smoke is smooth, no doubt, and with a firm draw there's very little smoke to infect my precious new office space.  No doubt it's chock full of mellow Dominican tobaccos, a touch of seco thrown in perhaps, and a sliver of Nicaraguan richness to provide a little extra body.  Overall though, a touch above uber-tamed, but not much, thanks to the spice that keeps it interesting for a solid 45 minutes....a perfect anytime cigar.

The chalky white ash and perfectly even burn are pluses, while the draw is indeed firm, not vein-popping, I like smoke surrounding me and I need to draw pretty hard to get that smoke ring around my noggin.  I think these would be better served if a touch on the under-humidified side.  Completely unintrusive, this could be smoked in nearly any company.  My Graycliff budget may indeed be established, a definite inclusion in my bursting humidor of cheapskate favorites.  At $2.50 to $3.00 per stick, these qualify as a new fixture.

Light'em up,

- Gonz