Mike 92: This cigar lit up really will and provided a good full body smoke down to the label. This one got to me and gave me a nicotine rush, it burned evenly and had a great draw. All in all very well balanced cigar with some initial spice that tapered off.
Don 95: Off to a very smooth, sweet and creamy start with base flavors of sweet wood and a nip of peppery spice on the finish. Flavors remain pretty consistent in the first inch. This blend is reported to have 10 different tobaccos from Nicaragua & Honduras. Though I can’t distinguish them individually, the smoke is perfectly balanced, between the sweeter Honduran and earthier Nicaraguan. Nearing the end of the first third, the smoke revealed more depth and spice, but no new flavors were apparent. Into the midsection, not much changed. I was expecting more “complexity,” but the balance of flavors – and there was a lot going on in there – made any further expectations unnecessary. The smoke was thoroughly enjoyable due more to its balance and consistency of flavor.
Paul 80: Medium brown, smooth wrapper with minimal veining; very faint tobacco aroma on the wrapper; Very good cold draw with a little dark fruit. First 1/3: Good amount of smoke; medium strength; medium tobacco flavor; uneven burn began to canoe. Second 1/3: Trace of leather and licorice but it quickly disappears; no flavor changes; medium finish; wrapper begins to crack. Last 1/3: More of the same; no flavor changes; wrapper continues to crack and begins to unravel. A very boring one dimensional smoke.
Will 70: The construction was sloppy, cap was poorly applied and the cigar had many soft spots. Initial dry draw was ok with a vegetal flavor. Upon ignition I got more vegetal flavors with a tangy finish, not terribly unpleasant but not good either. I let it rest and only puffed every 2 minutes or so to give it a chance. It did not improve, flavor was consistent tang. Boring, let it go after it began canoeing on me.
Rob 88: If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought it was a Habana stick. To me it was Cubanesque. The stick had a perfect burn, it did not go out the entire smoke, and was fairly close to a razor sharp burn the whole way down. It was a bit disappointing that there was not a ton of flavor; the aroma and retro hale was nice, but again, not a lot of flavor. The finish was nice, but gave a drying mouth feel. The most impressive characteristic was the cigar’s smoothness. Very smooth the entire smoke. Would have given it a higher score with more flavor.
Jim 88: First off, the appearance of this cigar is nice. The interesting light and dark brown patina coloring on the leaves give it a richer look. Very firmly rolled with a solid feel. As I start out I am getting a lot of cedar flavor with slight sweet nutty finish. It started off very mild but as I get about a 1/2 inch its starting to open up and moved to a medium. It’s also taking a more of a leather and earthy profile while maintaining the nutty finish. The draw takes a little effort but ample amount of smoke in return. The firm roll is also producing a very firm ash. At 1 inch of burn, the ash is solid and almost perfectly straight. All in all this is smoking like a premium cigar. Flavors have been consistent since it opened up. I am enjoying this smoke. However, I wish there was a little more complexity but I am enjoying the nutty and savory after taste. I just wish it had more complexity and spice. Burn has been very even. In the end, this is a very well constructed cigar. I tend to like a stronger cigar but if you like a solid medium bodied smoke then you will really like this cigar. it peaked in the beginning then stayed very consistent. I do notice my fingers are stained after I have finished. This cigar probably had some color added to enhance it’s look.
Artie 77: This cigar was a total disaster, although it started out promising. The flavors upon lighting were soft and appealing. I was anticipating a good smoking experience. But about a half inch in, the stick started burning down the side at an accelerated rate. No amount of touching up could correct this issue. The cigar was “over stuffed” with tobacco, and the filler tightly wound. There was no evidence of proper bunching and the draw was tight. After a while I tried to tap off the hard side of stick. I’ve done this before and was then able to relight the cigar and smoke it successfully. This time, the cigar split down the entire length of the stick. It ended up looking like an exploded gag cigar. This was the worst constructed cigar I’ve ever smoked. And I’ve smoked thousands of cigars. What a waste of money.
