Paul 83 – Chocolate brown wrapper with a few prominent veins, nice double cap, light tobacco aroma on the wrapper, no soft spots, rich tobacco on the cold draw. First 1/3: Light pepper, coffee and cream, excellent draw, medium amount of thin smoke, mild strength, light body and a short finish, ash drops at ¼”. Second 1/3: Some bitterness, uneven burn, light tobacco flavor, mild plus strength, light body and a medium finish, malt, dryness in the mouth. Last 1/3: Grassy, bitter and some off flavors. It was acceptable until the last third.
Rob 88 – Dull colorado wrapper on this sloppily capped robusto. There are tight, but visible seams and virtually no veins on the wrapper. Fairly firm pack with average weight to the stick. On spark up, after a generous V cut, there is a reasonable amount of smoke output, however an uncomfortably tight draw. Initial flavor is charred tobacco, giving me a hope that it shifts as the cigar heats up. At 1 inch I had to leave the cigar unattended for ten minutes. I was pleased to find the cherry still lit and burning. At the half way point the body of the cigar had softened but the draw remains tight. The burn is not razor sharp but very good. Unfortunately there is still not a lot of flavor present other than tobacco at this point. The smoke output continues to be quite good and a peanut flavor has entered. There is still no spice or pepper here. Finally, with the last 1/3 remaining, some substance appeared in the cigar. It kicked up to a medium body and has tons of smoke pouring out. It now is exhibiting lots of mixed nuts along with a loosened draw. This is a fairly slow burning cigar, which is nice, but it never provided much umami….
Jim 86 – A medium brown wrapper on this fine looking robusto. I first V-cut this cigar but got a very tight draw. So I re-cut with a deeper straight cut and still got a labored draw but enough to get some smoke and flavor through the cigar. I am getting some sweetness in initial flavors of chocolate and hazelnut. I am also getting a little citrus on the finish. Burn is very uneven and will need to be leveled. This might be connected to the tough draw. Strength is somewhere between mild to medium but with some good body in flavors. As I hit the halfway mark there is a total flavor shift as I am getting more fruity flavors with a new peppery spice. The citrus finish has intensified. The draw is improving. This cigar had some interesting flavors but it had issues with draw and burn that cost it some points.
Artie 91 – This is a very fragrant robusto of colorado coloring…tons of sweet barnyard. The fill is a bit light, and the cigar is soft to the touch. With a cap that looks crude and not wound multiple times, I hope it won’t collapse under the pressure of my guillotine. The wrapper looks very fine and reminds me of the Cuban cigars that are custom rolled for industry veterans. Here goes…well, the cut was easy using my Pappy Van Winkle souvenir cutter. This gives me a very shallow cut and preserves most of the cigar’s cap. The cold draw is delicious and sweet. Once lit I’m surprised that the draw isn’t more open. It’s tight but I get adequate smoke. As I start to get into it, I’m getting a nice black pepper spice but it’s not overwhelming. With notes of lavender and Indian spices, this cigar is fragrant and smooth. It reminds me of the 601 Red Label we reviewed in the last round. It’s a cigar I absolutely loved. This stick is starting out right in my wheelhouse. It’s got lots of traditional, Cuban flavor characteristics but with that Nic. black pepper thing. Mid way, this cigar has burned perfectly with a solid ash. It has, however, lost some of its floral qualities and gained a more menthol or eucalyptus like flavor. This is a profound flavor change. At the nub, some floral notes return and the cigar gets very squishy. This is not an issue for me, although Will may object and down-score his review as a result. We shall see. But in the end, I really liked this cigar and it’s got qualities I look for in a good cigar: balance, floral/herbal notes, a touch of spice, and good burn characteristics.
