1. October 25th,2020. A very interesting cigar, beautifully constructed and consistently good.
All Nicaraguan
Toro: 6.5 x 52
Dry aroma: Initially, it smelled somewhat like a Maduro cigar: woody, leathery. But there is something else which is also unpleasant, industrial. I can't put my finger on it. After a few weeks out of the cellophane the strange dry aroma has given way to a sweet maduro leather.
Appearance: Beautiful construction, smooth and seamless. The wrapper is dry. There is no oily sheen.
Draw: The cigar has a very easy, effortless draw. It almost makes me suspect that the cigar is lightly packed and will draw down to the nub in thirty minutes. But that was not so. Despite its easy draw, the cigar lasted around 90 minutes. I managed 110 minutes in another stick.
Aroma: The initial aroma was phenomenal. It was one of the most rich and delicious aromas I can recall from a cigar. Aroma is a difficult quality. After a few puffs it's difficult to detect the aroma as one does from the initial light or as one does as a passive observer. It's like coffee; once you start drinking coffee it's difficult to sense the aroma.
Flavour: At a blind tasting I would have identified the cigar as a Maduro. That really sums up the flavours: leathery, woody. A bit thin in the early samples, developing after a few weeks (see below). But still quite tasty. Finish was pleasantly long.
Burn: A minor touch up within the ten or fifteen minutes. But that could have been as much to do with my sloppy lighting. After that, wavy but evened out.
Body: Medium, with occasional bursts of fullness. But otherwise, nothing overwhelming.
Conclusion: I look forward to smoking this again. It's was an interesting and enjoyable 90 minute session.
2. November 4th: Ten days later, I selected a stick which appeared a little oilier and lighter in colour than the others. First observation: the maduro quality of the first sample was not present. The leathery aroma was not present. Instead, the flavour was much more similar to the Alec Bradley Nica Puro. Everything else was the same: medium body, excellent draw, burn and construction. Strength ramped up and dissipated deliciously.
3.November 18th: 110 minutes, almost perfect all the way. Started off with a pepper blast, then smoothed out to a more creamy flavour. Strength built throughout. Second half was too strong for the wife. Too much pepper. She turned up her nose. But I really enjoyed the accumulation of strength and spice. A few minor touchups. Difficult to bid farewell to the nub. It was solidly good.
4. December 30th, 2020
The first half was a little mild: woody, slightly sweet maduro flavour with good aroma but not much complexity and none of the creaminess of the previous sample. Finish was a bit too short for enjoyment. The second half saw flavour increase. Body and strength still tottering around the medium mark but flavour and complexity increased with just a little pepper approaching the end. Nub became too delicious to put down. Burn was consistent; no touch-up required. Draw was easy. Didn't get too hot towards the nub. Smoking time was closer to the first sample at 85 minutes.
5. February 8th, 2021
I've been keeping my humidor on the moist side, so I selected a cigar that was firm. It was well packed and had a bit of weight to it. The dry aroma was leathery and spicy. A deep snort sent me sneezing. The initial light-up was strong and peppery, perhaps a little bitter and tarry. That settled down and most of the cigar was balanced and tasty; full bodied and full flavoured, occasionally sweet, with lasting finish. Strength built up towards the end and flavour dissipated a bit towards bitterness in the final third, recovering at the nub. A little more ageing might benefit. Burn was impeccably even throughout. Overall, quite satisfying.
A deep maduro wrapper, not oily, 6.5 x 52, solidly packed but easy on the draw.
6. April 12th, 2021: Rich, full bodied, strong, complex, creamy, balanced, smooth, perfect burn, a bit of resistance in the draw, but nothing to impede excellent smoke production. Deep, rich, complex aroma. Occasionally sweet flavour. Strong and peppery at the opening and at the end. No bitterness. Strength occasionally bordering on the very strong, but balancing out after a few puffs. 105 minutes. Complexity improved much over the last two months. Very satisfying.
7. June 5th: This cigar cracked at the head as soon as I lighted it - or possibly before, but certainly not when I took it from the humidor. I think it was too moist at the head and the moisture caused exfoliation. This is the we season now. Ambient humidity is around 80-90% much of the time and so it is a challenge to main optimal humidity - more so than in the dry season. Despite this defect, for which I take responsibility, the cigar was excellent: it manifested the same rich, full bodied, strong, complex, creamy, peppery, smooth profile as that of April 12th with not a hint of bitterness.
It was strong with long finish, spinning my head every few minutes so that I had to put it down and wait for the air to clear. But this was by no means unpleasant. On the contrary, it's one of the qualities one enjoys in a full bodied, strong cigar - the need to pace the process.
Aroma was rich and complex throughout. As I've mentioned before, aroma is one of the essential qualities of a good cigar. It was most enjoyable to sit back in a daze and enjoy the ambient aroma while the nicotine dissipated. 80 minutes of bliss. Very satisfying.
8. August 16th: This is one of my favourites for good reason: it's consistently delicious and well balanced. This cigar was no exception. Very sweet pre-light aroma - almost perfumed. The cigar was a bit dry with a little scuffing of the wrapper at the foot and a few slight cracks also near the foot. Neither of these minor defects inhibited the perfect burn or the excellent flavour. No cracks appeared during smoking, so I guess humidity was close to optimal but on the dry side.
The flavour was almost maduro with a light sprinkling of pepper. But the flavour was much richer and more complex than mere maduro. Body was medium to full. Complexity increased by the second half. Aroma was deep and rich. Ash was pure white. Finish was medium and a bit dirty towards the end as tars built up; but nothing offensive. Strength approached the high level, requiring the occasional pause, but nothing overwhelming.
The only defect was a tight draw. But the extra work in puffing was rewarded with almost 90 minutes of consistent and balanced flavour. Very satisfying.
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| A very clean white ash |
9. October 4th:
Pre-light: a crack around the triple cap and a slight crack in the wrapper while smoking, but nothing that impaired smoking.
Draw: a little resistant but not plugged; still good smoke production.
Burn: a little wavy but no need for touch up.
Flavour: excellent, smooth, peppery, dark roast, complex, leathery
Body: full body throughout, complemented by dark roast, pepper and a bit of strength
Strength: quite strong but not overwhelming.
Balance: strength, body and flavour nicely balanced.
Finish: long finish, allowed for long intervals in the ash tray between puffs.
After taste: a bit dirty, tarry.
Time: 105 minutes.
Overall: satisfying
10. March 7th, 2022: After more than a year in the humidor, the cellophane was tinted yellow. The cigar was rather firm to the touch. The first third was mellow and delicious but full bodied. As the cigar progressed, the dark roast flavour gained a burnt toast component with a dirty finish. Pepper was pronounced in the final third. Overall, quite satisfying, but ended a bit dirty. 95 minutes. Reading the review of October last year, I would say that the cigar today quite faithfully reproduced the former.
11. June 1st, 2022: Balanced, full bodied, dark roast, spicy, almost perfect burn. Burnt toast developed somewhat during the second half, but wasn't dirty, unlike the cigar of March 7th above, and the Short Churchill of this brand a few days ago. The cigar was strong, but not too strong. Overall this was a very balanced version of the brand. Very satisfying. 2 hours.
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| At the one hour point. Well balanced: strong, spicy, full bodied but not dirty. |
12. August 9th, 2022: Delicious, complex, balanced first half with a complexity including sweetness, pepper, dark roast coffee and without bitterness. During the second half flavour somewhat skewed to the pepper and dark roast. I've described it as burnt toast above. I wouldn't say burnt in this case. But close. Body increased to full plus. The second half was less balanced and less enjoyable than the first half. The same could be said of the Short Churchill vitola of this brand.
The cigar was heavy in the hand and well packed. Draw was a little resistant. It went out once. No big deal.
Overall, quite satisfying. 95 minutes.
Excellent smooth, full bodied first half.
Unbalanced in the second half with too much pepper and burnt toast.
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