This is the ideal Connecticut shade flavor profile I look for. Soft notes galore, with sweetness and creaminess upfront, and accented wood and spice notes. But I have a major gripe about this Rocky Patel White Label Toro. The price tag of $20 for a Connecticut shade is a bit ridiculous. But I'll push that aside and will weigh more on the actual (more important) flavor experience.
I haven't liked a La Palina release this much in quite some time. This La Palina 125 Años almost seemed like a return to what I loved about the glory days of the brand; well balanced, super flavorful and good construction. The only issue is, it held up the goodness for half the cigar. It is at least a step in the right direction.
The manner in which the Tatuaje Cohete currently tastes has all the key components to what should be a good cigar, given some more aging. The profile's rawness in good flavors as well as the oily nature of the cigar typically will mean a more balanced and cohesive flavor profile. I typically don't purchase many cigars these days, but I did buy a box of these. So in that sense, I am equating my words to my wallet.
Overall, I found the profile of the Protocol Bass Reeves Natural to be too mineral forward, suppressing the other good flavors of roasted nuts, white pepper and cedar. Because the mineral notes were too dominant, it tipped off the balance of the flavor profile. This ultimately gave the vibe of an average tasting cigar.
Having smoked (I think) three iterations of Sin Compromiso, one main theme is clearly evident. The mouthfeel of tannins is superb. The flavors are overall on point too, providing a finer earthiness of cocoa, cedar, minerals and dry red pepper spice. The price point of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección Paladin de Saka is tough to swallow though.
To my surprise, the A.C.E. Prime The Sergeant was a pretty well balanced cigar. After reading that it's corojo, I expected more spice, but perhaps it got blended out from the large 58 ring gauge. Sweetness and creaminess off toasted mixed nuts, wood earthiness off cedar, and soft bread. This is the type of profile that I can sit back and smoke multiples of in a day. Happy to smoke more.
I equate the experience with the Plasencia Cosecha 149 La Vega to drinking a nice high rye bourbon, focusing on a nuanced blend of spices, but also having enough softer flavors of roasted nuts. The spice delivery was unique and not your traditional spices, centered around baking spices, white pepper spice and a hint of Chinese five spice. Well done and will be back for more.
I overall enjoyed this Matilde Limited Exposure No. 1. It follows the same vein of what Matilde executes so well on, being flavor centric, while not including needless strength. Many times, I find Mexican San Andres to be too earthy. Once in a while (such as this time), I find the earthiness to be well complimented by other notes (such as chocolate, fruit tones).
Elegancia is a fitting name to this cigar. Plenty of soft notes that allows for full retrohales without any backlash, and mild strength. The only negatives to the Ferio Tego Elegancia are the wood bitterness that seeped into the profile a bit too much within the final third as well as a demanding $21 price tag. Nice entry for Herklots.
Overall, delicious. I liked how the cigar touched the major areas to be qualified as a good cigar (sweet, spice, earth). This is really no different than all the Casa Cuevas offerings I've had, ie balanced and focused on flavors instead of strength. If you're a fan of other offerings from the brand, this will no doubt please you too.
