Artie 87 – This big, fat toro has a dark chocolate brown wrapper with an oily sheen. Its cap is rather crude and the stick has a rustic look. The foot reveals good bunching with no stems. It has a strong pre-lit aroma of chocolate raisins. Draw is firm but acceptable. Lighting easily, this cigar produces abundant smoke, with initial flavors that include dark chocolate, leather, and earth. After the first inch or so, the burn gets a bit uneven and requires some touch ups. The ash is flakey, but with a prominent cinder cone. Mid way a nice nutty character emerges as does a creaminess that is very appealing. At the nub this cigars gets a peppery quality, and ultimately delivers a good satisfying smoke.
Paul 92 – Variation in the wrapper color makes it look like a barber pole, medium veins, soft in spots, faint tobacco aroma on the wrapper, good cold draw, raisins and dark fruit. First 1/3: Cocoa, malt and oak, good amount of smoke, flaky ash, uneven burn, medium strength, body and finish, mild retrohale with dark fruit notes, chunks of the ash start to fall out, ugly burn line, light grey ash. Second 1/3: Malt and leather, dark fruit on the retrohale, oak, some tannins, solid medium across the board. Last 1/3: Dark fruit and leather, dryness in the mouth, very smooth, no harshness, finishes medium. Lots of flavors to hold your attention.
Will 95 – Big fattie, 6×60, I usually have poor luck with cigars this large but lets see. Sloppy double cap on oily dark colorado wrapper. Very densely packed, lots of tobacco in this stick, different color leaves are seen at the shoulder upon clipping from blonde to brunette and super dark. The dry nose is dried apricot with red pepper, same flavor when lit. Soon turns to charry licorice with very chewy smoke, different but me like. As this cigar progresses more flavors arrive, roasted meat with salty leather and dried fruit on the finish. Very consistent and plenty of nicotine, this stick begs for a nice aged tequila or single malt but I’m remain on the aqua. The burn has been excellent and this is the best gordo I have smoked in quite a while. I give it a 3 in the wow factor because it never got bitter which is unheard of for me with big ring gars.
Rob 97 – It has a very dark brown maduro wrapper with a slightly sweet aroma. The wrapper was oily with tight invisible seams. Extremely small seams with a double capped head. The stick is quite robust and heavy for its size. It is quite reminiscent of a Habano Siglo VI cigar. It is quite tightly packed with no soft spots and appears to be quite solid with a quite nice pre-light draw. Overall, a beautiful cigar in appearance. Easy light to the foot and the cigar gave off a very heavy amount of smoke throughout the entire 90 minute burn. The started razor sharp, however, at the mid point it did need a correction. I did not re-light the stick to straighten the burn, and within ten minutes it self corrected and stayed straight and sharp throughout the rest of the experience. The smoke completely coated my palate and left a fairly long finish. The ash was quite solid, and never dropped off on its own, only when tapped into the ashtray. Overall, a wonderful smoke; and definitely reminded me of a Cuban Siglo VI, but with Central American long filler and wrapper in lieu of Cuban; hence the added flavor and strength. Overall, both a great appearance, feel in both hand and mouth, and smoking experience, hence the ‘Wow.’
Jim 87 – I do like the bigger ring cigars so I am excited to try this one as it appears to be a 6 ” x 58. Cigar seems firm in construction but the cap looks sloppy as it is actually lifting slightly at the edges and you can feel these edges on your lips. Initial light and tons of thick gray smoke. I am picking up some non-distinct floral flavors. I am definitely tasting some hickory smoke. Burn is starting out uneven which can happen with some of these bigger ring cigars. Flavor and strength started out stronger but after an inch into the cigar, it mellowed out dramatically. The flavors developing are very earthy and savory with a distinct leather finish. The burn actually evened-out on its own. Flavors transitioned again after halfway mark. It now has a very distinct unsweetened cocoa flavor with the leather finish. The flavors were also more bitter in the final third. It burned uneven but leveled out on it’s own with part of the wrapper falling off. Overall a medium strength cigar picking up some added strength in the final third. This was an interesting cigars with multiple transitions. It still was a good cigar, however the balance of flavors was a little off for me.
