This cigar was a perfect representation of medium to me, with strength and body. I did give it a + on strength because I feel some who aren’t as tolerant to nicotine might find it rather strong. That being said, I could enjoy this cigar morning, evening and night. The burn wasn’t perfect, but did not require any touch ups. I would be hard pressed to really find anything wrong with this cigar. However, I wish the draw loosened up a little sooner, but after the first third it did open up to perfection. Overall, this cigar was excellent and could easily be a daily driver for me!
Pairing Recommendations:
Mexican Lager, New England IPA, Caramel Coffee Iced or Hot, Hot Chocolate, After Fried Chicken, Beef Jerky, Steak, Brisket, Rolos, Roasted Peanuts, Spicy Dark Chocolate, Pepper Jack Cheese.
Breakdown of My “Overall Enjoyment” Total:
Feel in the hand: 14/15
Ash Strength: 5/5
Versatility (pairings, time of day): 10/10
Appearance: 3/5
Pepper Scale: 10/10
Box Worthy: 5/5
Wrapper: Honduras / Binder: Honduras / Filler: Honduras
Vitola: Robusto / Size: 5 x 50
Factory: Fabrica de Puros Aladino / Country of Origin: Honduras
Salted roasted peanuts
Slight red pepper
Salt, leather
Right before light up I’m noticing the milk chocolate/caramel colored wrapper has some very prominent seams, but feels nicely packed. The draw is a little snug, but producing a ton of smoke. The body and foot notes jump right out at first puff. Salted roasted peanuts and a touch of red pepper coat the palate. The retrohale offers some nice pepper and a general woodiness. As the first third moves into the second third, a slight meaty note emerges. This with the saltiness screams beef jerky.
The second third takes the beef jerky note and really amplifies it. The pepper on the retrohale is ramping up as well. It’s like a mixture of black, white and crushed red pepper. The retrohale is flat out amazing and really compliments the meatiness I’m getting on the back of my palate. Despite all the really prominent flavors, this cigar maintains an impressive smoothness. The draw is starting to loosen up and is heading towards what I consider a sweet spot when it comes to resistance. The second third bows out with a faint general sweetness.
The retrohale is continuing to steal the show for me. It bounces around the spectrum of peppers beautifully. Flavor wise, not much has changed since the first two thirds. The sweetness I got faded out quickly and the Roasted salted peanut made a strong comeback as the beef jerky took the backseat. Fortunately for me, this cigar took notes I absolutely love and let them ride for the entire smoke. If I had only one word to describe this cigar it would be without hesitation, SAVORY!
