Decent smoke but not very complex beyond the rotating two notes. A bit rich and full, almost to a fault..but that is my personal opinion/preference. There were no big point hits in any scoring category but hits throughout each category put this one at an 84.
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés/ Binder: Nicaragua/ Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez de Nicaragua, SA/ Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Vitola: Robusto/Size: 5″x54
Matte with a VERY fine grit to it. Well rolled but with clear gradient of leaf colors at the seam (almost like a barber pole). Mild chocolate.
Raisin, dark fruits, lightly fudgy, cereal grains
Light hay and grains
After battling through an inch of a sharp, bitey sting of a retrohale…a rich, fudgy/nougat chocolate note emerges through a neat but loose dime-stack of ash. Develops to a rich, earthy cocoa with a red pepper flake bite at the end of the retro.
I find myself rather quickly into the second third (even at my regular pace) where the rich, earthy cocoa notes morphs into more of a warm honey decadence. As the retro spice begins to mellow out, the cocoa returns with a Mexican hot chocolate warmth to finish off the third.
