(Description taken from Cigar-Coop.com website)
Grimalkin first hit the market in 2011. The cigar was a Nicaraguan puro that was widely believed to have been produced at the My Father Cigars factory. Early in 2012, the Grimalkin was rebranded into a new line of the Emilio portfolio called La Musa, and the blend would become a specific offering in that line called La Musa Mousa. At the time Griffith had said the band’s signature “cat eyes” drew criticism from the marketplace – although it was also widely speculated the change was made to avoid a potential trademark conflict.
Minus the cat eyes, Grimalkin is back – and its going to be a blend coming out of James Brown’s Fabrica Oveja Negra factory. Both Emilio and James Brown’s Black Label Trading Company/Black Works Studio brands are distributed by Boutiques Unified. Brown also owns Fabrica Oveja Negra and has produced several Emilio releases such as LJZ and Cavatina. The blend features all-Nicaraguan tobaccos and comes in two sizes: Robusto (5 x 50, SRP $9.80) and Toro (6 x 50, SRP $10.00). Both sizes are available in 25-count boxes. The cigars will feature new packaging.
“Grimalkin was always a cigar that stood out in the Emilio portfolio. It was intriguing, so when Scott Zucca, owner of Emilio cigars, asked me to recreate a 2018 version, I was excited to do so. I like the theme and the style of cigar, it just needed an update and so we put our Oveja Negra spin on it. Since the cigar is a Nicaraguan Puro, my goal was to highlight the qualities I love about Nicaraguan tobacco. The blend is very spice forward with a lot of complexity and depth, balanced by a rich creamy finish,” said James Brown, owner of Fabrica Oveja Negra in a press release.
Grimalkin (sometimes called greymalkin) refers to an old or evil-looking female cat sometimes associated with witchcraft. It is also a part of Scottish folklore as being a “faery cat that dwells in the highlands”. The name stems from “grey” (the color) and “malkin” (an archaic term for cat).
The cigar is very well made and the foot shows some dark tobacco.
The test draw after cutting the cap was very good. The initial flavors were a very sweet, tangy orange citrus, lots of cinnamon, brown sugar, light leather, nutmeg, and an earthy black coffee. There was black pepper which I rated at a 7. In all, a very good start.
The first quarter ended at 27 minutes. I was about 1 1/2 inches in at this point. At this point I noticed something that was hiding previously; chocolate. And, it's also very sweet. Somewhat like a milk chocolate. It goes along very well with the sweet, tangy citrus, cinnamon, and brown sugar. The leather is light and noticeable right after those sweet flavors. The black coffee holds a nice base. The finish is one of cream, nutmeg, and light chocolate with some nice lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium to full bodied. This is a very tasty cigar. The first quarter is rated at a 94.
At the midpoint (1 hour 1 minute) the cigar is still going strong. You still have the same flavors as previously noted. But, you now have a little more nutmeg at points. The cigar is still medium to full bodied. The citrus is still quite tangy and sweet. All the flavors work together very nicely. The midpoint score is also a 94.
At the 3/4 point (1 hour 29 minutes) I still have the same flavor notes but there were a little more chocolate notes at this point. I noticed the coffee notes were also elevated. So, basically you have the same flavors but in different percentages. The cigar is still medium to full bodied. The finish is unchanged. Although the percentages changed the cigar remains extremely good. The 3/4 point score remains at a 94.
The cigar ended at a whopping 1 hour 54 minutes! This is an unreal burn time for a 6x50 toro. Amazing. But, you'll get your moneys worth with this cigar. The flavor notes were basically unchanged except slight percentage changes. I even got what appeared to be graham cracker notes here and there. But overall the cigar remained very, very good. I loved these flavor notes, in fact. I could smoke this cigar every day. The finish was by and large unchanged. But, the cigar reached a low level full bodied status. This cigar is an absolute winner and if you see them you should try them. Simply great. The final quarter score remains at a 94.
Overall Score: 94
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