Hati, by Family x Loyalty Cigars

Þá mælti Gangleri: "Skjótt ferr sólin ok nær svá sem hon sé hrædd, ok eigi mundi hon þá meir hvata göngunni at hon hræddisk bana sinn."

Þá svarar Hár: "Eigi er þat undarligt at hon fari ákafliga. Nær gengr sá er hana sœkir, ok øngan útveg á hon nema renna undan."

Þá mælti Gangleri: "Hverr er sá er henni gerir þann ómaka?"

Hár segir: "Þat eru tveir úlfar, ok heitir sá er eptir henni ferr Sköll. Hann hræðisk hon, ok hann mun taka hana. En sá heitir Hati Hróðvitnisson er fyrir henni hleypr, ok vill hann taka tunglit, ok svá mun verða."

Then said Gangleri: "The sun fares swiftly, and almost as if she were afraid: she could not hasten her course any the more if she feared her destruction."

Then Hárr made answer: "It is no marvel that she hastens furiously: close cometh he that seeks her, and she has no escape save to run away."

Then said Gangleri: "Who is he that causes her this disquiet?"

Hárr replied: "It is two wolves; and he that runs after her is called Skoll; she fears him, and he shall take her. But he that leaps before her is called Hati Hródvitnisson. He is eager to seize the moon; and so it must be.

I am excited to continue reviewing three new blends by Family x Loyalty Cigars, which follow Geri and Freki in carrying the names of the wolves of Norse mythology, with the One Who Hates, called Hati, the wolf who chases the Moon and will devour him at Ragnarok.

Cigar: Hati, by Family x Loyalty Cigars

Vitola: Robusto (5” x 52)

Price: $10.75

Origin: Unknown

Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Criollo ‘98
Filler: Corojo, Nicaragua
Body: Mild-Medium

Rating (out of 10): 10

Appearance:
Like his brother Skoll, Hati features the standard blue-on-silver Family x Loyalty brand footband, and this time a black-on-grey primary band with Norse/Celtic-style knotwork borders.

The wrapper is golden-brown in color, again with nearly invisible seams, though they do tend to stand out somewhat more on the lighter Connecticut wrappers. 

Construction:
Well balanced, and perfectly capped once again.

Aroma:
The barrel on Hati is mostly cedary, with what might be the faintest whiff of coffee…? Lots of hay at the foot again, which checks out; the only difference between Hati and Skoll (the cigar blends, at least!), is in the wrapper.

First Third:
Perfect cut, perfect draw. As always. 

Cold draw is sweet and cedary, with a subtle undertone of hay.

What did I do with my lighter? I just had it a moment ago…

Found it. My dog, Rom, decided to join me, and he was laying right on top of it.

Now that that’s resolved, and I’ve got a nice, even light, we can continue. Main flavor note is cedar again, but it’s a bit sweeter and more muted. Definitely in line with what I’d expect from a Connecticut.

Surprisingly for a Connecticut, though, there’s some aggressive pepper on the finish again, this time more like white peppercorn, but it still gives this wolf some teeth.

Once again, we’re burning at a very slight angle, but otherwise nice and even. Nice white ash stack, firm with a very light flakiness around the edges.

Second Third:
Hati’s flavor remains consistent moving into the second third, very nice cedar and peppercorn, a more subdued version of his brother Skoll.

The burn is still nice and even, on occasion wavy, but never out of control.

Very smooth smoke, honestly. Definitely a great morning cigar to chase the moon out of the sky and make way for the day.

Final Third:
Great consistency as we get closer to the end. Don’t get caught sleeping, though, this wolf is still right behind you! Those hits of pepper snap at you like the wolf’s jaws.

Just like his brother, Hati picks up his pace and becomes even more aggressive right before the end. This is the end of Mani, the moon, and with the world in darkness, Ragnarok begins…

Closing Thoughts:
Hati makes off with a perfect score, having experienced no issues with the burn whatsoever.

Connecticuts are generally too mild for my personal tastes, though, so my preference between the two still lies with Skoll, but I could easily see myself stocking up on Hati to keep on hand as my early morning smoke to start the day.