[BlackIrish]

The Cigar: Xikar HC Series Habano Colorado Petite Corona

Nutritional information:
Size: 4.5 x 44
Vitola: petite corona
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua

Marketing (courtesy of Xikar): Wrapped in a beautiful cocoa colored wrapper, the Habano Colorado is a smooth, rich tasting cigar with chocolate notes. The well aged tobacco makes for an interesting medium to full bodied cigar that is moderately strong with just a hint of sweetness.



Pre-Light: Nice! The glossy colorado wrapper leaf looks very inviting -- it's oily, with medium veins and no flaws to be seen. The aroma is all barnyard, deep and rich, with a slight touch of pepper. It's solidly packed, firm but resilient to the pinch, and clips easily. The cold draw is on the tight side of perfect, with more peppery barnyard notes. My only complaint: it was hard to remove the band at the foot, and I was worried about damaging the wrapper leaf.

Construction and combustion: This petite corona lights easily. The burn is impressive: laser straight, with virtually no wobble, and a very firm, stubborn ash. Put away your lighter, as no relights or even touchups are necessary. Smoking time was about 40 mins, longer than I expected for this pc. The smoke volume is good, although the draw is a bit tight.

Xikar is known for the quality of its cutters, and apparently they made sure that the cigar that bears their name is of comparable craftmanship. From the oily, well-wrapped capa to the very even burn to the tight biscuit ash, it's evident that this cigar was made by a skilled torcedor.

Flavor: I got big flavor from this petite cigar. There was a good rush of pepper right out of the gate, layered over an earthy core with a finish that tended toward the sweet. The pepper recedes after a few minutes, and the dark flavors move to the fore. It's hard to analyze this small stick in the traditional thirds, but over the core of damp rich earth I found notes of coffee, some pleasantly bitter espresso and stout. I got a couple of hints of molasses and black licorice, and I could taste the nicotine strength. It had decent complexity for its size.

Overall, an impressive little cigar, offering full-bodied flavor in a small package. In that sense it reminds me of the flavorful Cuban petit coronas and minutos, especially the Bolivar petit corona and Partagas short. The flavor profile is different from those, but it's a treat to find a non-Cuban short smoke that delivers rich flavor.