[smokin5]

Shilala says No.2 was an El Mejor Espresso.
Funny, that's what I thought No.1 was!

On to Review No. 3 -
Sorry, no pic's this time because I'm writing this one quickly.
Started up Monday at 20 minutes after 5 PM.
And it is.....a box-pressed maduro! Hmmm, I sense a pattern here.
6"x50 ring, a slight box-press, not as squared as No. 2 was.
Silky-smooth mottled dark wrapper with no veins.
It's packed mostly well, but therere 2 distinct soft spots; one in the middle, & one about 1-1/2" from the mouth.
Prelight smell of...nothing. Draw is very loose, and gives off only the faintest of leathery flavor. Another faded glory? I hope not.
I grab a glass of water to start, and listen to the yak-yakking of the Queen B!tch & her friend, the Poodle Princess.
We have ignition.
A nice mix of leather and dark chocolate, with a touch of coffee; gingery pepper & some cedar in the finish. It's much more rounded & fuller-feeling than the first 2 test subjects. It soon develops a creamier aspect to the smoke. Solid medium in body & strength.

1/2" in, I'm thinking a Syrah or Merlot would pair well with the cigar. My companions don't want any red wine, and I don't want to open a bottle without finishing it, so I reach for a Makers Mark bourbon on the rocks instead. The bourbon matches reasonably well with the cigar flavors.

At 1", the gingery taste is gone, replaced by an almost lavender note. The other primary flavors of leather, dark chocolate & coffee remain, along with a touch of cedar & sweet-spiciness, forming a nice combo. They hould cut a record with Roy Hargrove. It tastes similar to an RP Vintage 1990, though I'm confident it isn't that cigar. Just using it as comparison. The burn is slightly off, but doesn't demand attention. Yet.

The smoke gets a bit drier feel with a litle more spice at the 2" mark. Still quite a nice flavor mix. Ginger returns from its break to join the band's rhythm section. The off-burn definitely needs correction now, though, so I burn it & purge it for good measure. This restores some of the creaminess and dispels some of the woody spice, allowing more leather & dark chocolate. 70% cacao? Oh, sure. This is more of a 'nose' cigar than a 'mouth' cigar, unlike the first 2 subjects.

20 minutes after 6 PM, an hour into it. Time to refill the bourbon. I only pour 2 fingers at a time, so it's gone (OK, 2 vertical fingers, but still...). The Poodle Princess leaves, so I crank up my WaxAttacks mix - Iggy Pop, Pretenders, Ramones, Red Rockers, Replacements, Romeo Void, etc.. The cigar responds to the tunes by getting stronger, with more spice & some almond flavor. Still very balanced. It now reminds me of a Cuban Crafters (Don Kiki) Cabinet Series Maduro, but I know it's not because no pigtail. Again, just using for comparison.

10 minutes to 7 & halfway done. More bad off-burn, more correction. The flavor meld is largely unchanged, but it does seem smoother than before, with less spicy bite in the finish.
As it enters the last third, the spice bite returns, with anise & 'nicotingle' (my own word) creeping in. The main flavors of leather & dark chocolate remain in the forefront, and it's still a tasty mix.

20 minutes after 7 PM and a little less than 2" to go. However, I have to go, too. I'll just call it a night. And a pretty good cigar.
Looks like the 3rd time was the charm for No. 3

Overall impressions: Predominant flavors of leather & dark chocolate held up nicely and remained fairly consistent, with variations of spice and smoke texture that were just enough to keep it interesting. Draw remained wide open throughout, but the need for regular touch-ups to the uneven burn was distracting. Great cigar? No, but quite good. I'll give this an 88. Or A- if you prefer letters. Don't know what that would be in Celsius. Or Celtic, for that matter.