Disclaimer: this is cribbed from my blog, but I did want to post something about these cigars.
First off, I wanted to say that I found this to be an absolutely sublime smoking experience. But I’m also going to use this review (per se) as a place to speak a little bit about the nature of reviewing cigars. It is very common for reviewers to talk about white pepper versus red pepper and black pepper, hints of cedar etc. Honestly, I can tell the difference between pepper in my kitchen, but in a cigar? If you’ve ever smelled cinnamon from different regions, you know that they vary wildly, so when notes of cinnamon are referenced, what does that mean? All this preamble to say that although I enjoy a wide variety of different cigars with varying profiles, but I can’t always identify what the “notes” or flavors are. Wine and artisan chocolate seem to have readily identifiable notes, and it may be some lack on my part, but I often have trouble parsing out these same distinctions in cigars. I also know that it takes time for me to really get to know a cigar, and that sometimes I love it and I am completely baffled when, a week later, I’m unimpressed. Not being of the tax bracket with a lovely walk-in and multiple boxes, my range of experience is limited to what I can afford.
Anyway, without further ado, I wanted to talk a little about this cigar. It is dark and oily looking, but not a maduro, rather an Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper aged with some proprietary process. It is quite delicate, but lusciously oily. The stick is very dense, in the way that some entubado sticks are, so expect a long, slow, rich smoke.
I have to say, that although it is one of the richer cigars I have smoked, it is not the classic spice-bomb. In fact one of the most notable and pleasant features for me was its consistently subtle richness. I’d have to say that a loamy, dark, creamy wood impression is the best I can convey. The smoke is thick, the burn slow and cool and I have to say one of my more pleasurable smoking experiences. A quality – and truly unique – stick that I highly recommend trying. I will definitely be stocking up on some more and will comment further if I have gained any further insight.
