This cigar looks purty. The wrapper color is a beautiful golden brown with no discoloration. There are very small veins and barely visible seams. On both samples there is an oily sheen that can only be seen on half of the cigar, towards the head, which is interesting. Weight wise it feels light in my hand and has a suede-like texture. I can see very small peach-fuzz on the wrapper which reminds me of an arm with goosebumps.
This cigar has great smoke output from start to finish. Both samples have a razor-sharp burn and excellent construction. The things I enjoyed most about this cigar were the smoke texture, smoke output, the depth of flavor, and crackle sound of the cigar. With every pull of the cigar came an auditory experience of a snap, crackle and pop which reminded me of a burning campfire. It’s not often that a cigar comes with its own soundtrack.
This was an enjoyable cigar, although there were moments where the cocoa and bitter minerality were fighting for attention leaving some puffs with more to be desired. One sample had more minerality while the other held its flavor profile/identity much better. In the end this was an enjoyable cigar, and even though it was unbalanced at times the overall experience was fun.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut / Binder: Dominican / Filler: Dominican
Vitola: Robusto / Size: 5 × 50
Factory: De Los Reyes S.A. / Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Cedar, hay, cream, nuts, faint black pepper
Cedar, rich dried fruits, apricot, golden raisins, spices
Muted woods, wheat bread, cashews, cinnamon, honey, corn, black pepper
On the palate I get cedar, cream, earth, black and white pepper with some maple syrup sweetness. About half an inch in, I get a flavor that reminds me of Cola and burnt pita bread. On the retrohale I get some cocoa, orange marmalade, toasted oats and plum. The smoke texture is creamy and produces a pleasant salivation in the mouth.
On the palate I get damp cedar, mixed nuts, cream, earth, chocolate, hoisin sauce and blackberries. On the retrohale I get some cocoa, dark fruits, peanut shells and cumin. There’s some bitterness that makes an appearance with some grapefruit on the finish. In this third the mixed nuts come forward as a dominant flavor note.
Wet leaves, earth, leather, saltiness, orange peel and white pepper. On the retrohale I get some cream, earth and cocoa. I also get some nutmeg, baking spices and minerals on the palate. On the finish I get some nice stimulation on the tongue from the spices. On one sample the smoke texture reminds me of a chewy caramel flavor.
