The Warfighter Redacted delivered a consistent profile throughout, with sweet tobacco and wood defining much of the experience. The introduction of nuttiness, hay and musty tobacco offered some variety, but the profile lacked the complexity or transitions to push it beyond average. Construction was excellent with flawless burn and ideal draw, but the flavor performance ultimately defined the cigar.
This Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Skywalker is a great introduction to the broadleaf project. Although not the conventional style of broadleaf, the flavor profile presented works well, having a heavier hand towards spice and hay/grass with a good backbone of sweet creaminess. I look forward to the broadleaf aging more and especially hope to see more body, increased sweet creaminess, as well as maintaining the spice and hay/grassiness. But the blend and age as is, is definitely a keeper.
I enjoyed the Perdomo Legacy Maduro Epicure. It was not overly complex, but it had a nice core flavor profile from start to finish. The notes of earth, wood, tobacco, coffee beans, cocoa and spices played off one another well, and kept my interest throughout the large cigar. Honestly, in today’s market, having something smoke at a simple and solid level from beginning to end is a big deal. Good cigar, and I am interested in the other wrapper offerings.
The Joya de Nicaragua Antaño CT Gran Consul had a nice start, with a good combination of flavors. It took a step down in the second third as the construction paper joined in and the creaminess faded out. It remained that way for the remainder of the cigar. While this isn't my favorite vitola in the line, it was still fairly interesting. I don't necessarily see myself coming back to this, but for those that enjoy large ring gauge cigars, it's something to consider.
The ChiMolly Dynasty Robusto Extra is a good cigar. A nice blend of tobacco from prominent countries. The blend was balanced and pleasant from start to finish. Nice level of complexities with some lacking qualities on the end. I would like to know the breakdown on the filler blend. The price is high on the cigar, but from a visual perspective, the packaging helps in justifying the price. I would come back to the cigar for a couple singles, and look forward to the other blends.
The Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario 25 Edición Limitada was a good cigar. It was nice to see the Aganorsa qualities return in this blend. It delivered a balanced flavor profile with bits of sweet tobacco, sweet spices, musty barnyard and rich earth qualities. This cigar is not worth $30.00, but it’s one of the better recently released Aganorsa blends. I would come back to this cigar, but it would not be for smoking now. I would love to see how these cigars age.
The Chesterton and Co. Toro delivered its best performance in the first third, where dry wood, spices, toasted nuttiness and sweet tobacco offered nice interplay. The second and final thirds leaned heavier on tannic wood and earthier components, with bitterness creeping in before purging helped correct it. Overall, this was an average smoking experience that I'd be unlikely to seek out in the future.
Monthly, we will put together a list of all of the cigars that were released, or announced to be released, in the previous month. This should give you an easy way to stay in tune with new releases.
The Artesano del Tobacco Viva La Vida Connecticut Robusto had a nice flavor profile through the first two thirds. The flavor components worked well together and there was enough transitioning to keep things interesting. The final third took a step down as the profile wasn't quite as dynamic, but still pleasant. This is a bit stronger Connecticut Shade offering than traditional offerings and it worked well. The price is a bit higher than my liking, but I would definitely come back to it and am interested in trying the other vitolas.
The Micallef Purple Robusto presents a profile that opens strong with sweet bread and spice complexity, but gradually settled into a drier, earth and wood-forward experience. I found only brief moments of sweetness and citrus to break the monotony. Excellent burn performance and a somewhat snug draw rounded out the experience. While the flavor progression didn't really stand out, the price point will definitely assist in a competitive cigar market.