I was pleased with this Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Red Meat Lovers 2020 and thought it showed depth and transitioning. This was a complex blend that showcased and benefitted from the tobaccos being used, wrapper to filler. This might be one my favorite Saka blends to come out of NACSA.
The Warped Maestro Del Tiempo 6102R 2020 had an enjoyable and engaging flavor composition through the first and second thirds. While the last third wasn't as complex, it was still quite pleasant. For me, I felt the original 2016 release had more complexity through the first and second thirds, and the final third was also one step better.
The Caldwell Eastern Standard Sungrown Magic is another consistent and enjoyable cigar. Although there weren't significant flavor changes through each third, the flavors that were presented were balanced and engaging to the palate. I would smoke these again, as this is another Caldwell release that gets moved into my smoking rotation.
The Zino Platinum Crown Series Limited Edition 2020 was a nice cigar and another solid Zino release. It is not the best Zino I have smoked, but still a really good cigar. It is better than most, but slightly lacking when you look at Zino overall. Very nice flavors with good construction. I really liked the body and strength that came with the flavors.
The Southern Draw Manzanita Toro started out promising in the first third with a dessert like flavor experience. The profile changed significantly moving into the second and last thirds, losing my attention through the review. I find almost everything from Southern Draw to be enjoyable for my palate, so I think I will return to the Manzanita in a few months to see if it evolves over time.
The Drew Estate Liga Privada Único Serie Bauhaus is a nice addition to the Unico Serie and for fans of the series, would definitely be worth trying to acquire some from the European market if you can track them down. I'd have no problem smoking more of these, likely in the evening after a nice meal and I could see it pairing well with a nice brown spirit of your choosing.
The Epic Ten was a pleasant, slightly above average, albeit underwhelming review experience considering the anniversary nature of the cigar. The Epic Ten did deliver some good flavors through the first third. I had high hopes for the cigar, given the Cameroon wrapper, and my enjoyment of other past Epic releases.
Typically, based on smoking experience, when I see another non-Cuban Montecristo, I assume an average experience. My assumption basically made an ass out of myself. The Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua No. 2 was far from average, being quite complex with sweet Hawaiian bread, barnyard, herbal tea and baking spices for most of the smoking time (last third lost steam). I'll happily smoke more of these.
If the Davidoff Year of the Ox smoked like it did in the first third throughout, it would have been amazing. One of the better zodiac releases in recent years, but still does not compare to some of the early smokes.
The Alec Bradley Project 40 Maduro 5.50 is a solid offering and more memorable to me than the original Project 40. It is a nice and enjoyable blend that is affordable and approachable as well. It is not overly complex, but it delivers a decent profile from start to finish.
