I enjoyed smoking the Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2 Toro. While the cigar wasn't necessarily as complex as I would want, the flavors that were present were enjoyable, and harmonized in a way that kept me engaged.
Although the mushroom mustiness was a nice component to start, the overall profile was pretty average and maintained that level through the second third. The final third dropped down a level when the char returned and built up. The Sindicato Cubico Toro never really did anything, it was just there. The price point is decent for the size, but there wasn't anything exciting enough for me to want to return to this one.
What a terrific blend. The Maya Selva Flor de Selva Year of the Ox 2021 showed complexity and depth throughout. There was nice transitioning and overall great flavor. The balance throughout was great and the cigar had my interest from beginning to end. This is a cigar I would come back to, and it makes me want to smoke past Flor de Selva releases I have enjoyed.
The Pichardo Clasico had a fairly average flavor profile and experience level throughout. There were a core set of flavors with some minimal transitions. The strength was a bit sneaky, as I was feeling it a bit in the final third. The price point is approachable, so it's well worth a try, I'm just note sure how often I see myself coming back to it though.
After reviewing the La Palina Goldie Laguito No. 6, I found myself doing a comparison with the original and phenomenal releases of Laguito No. 2, No. 5, and the Especial. For me, the experience falls quite a bit short. That isn't to say it was a bad cigar, it certainly isn't, but a slightly above average experience isn't going to be enough to motivate a second purchase on a $23 cigar.
While I don't see myself returning to the E.P. Carrillo Elencos Elites often, I could see returning to it on occasion as I think this would work well in the evening after a hearty meal and paired with a brown spirit.
The A.C.E. Prime M.X.S. Signature Dominique Wilkins had a nice start, but once the dry earth joined in the second third, it put a bit of a damper on things and the experience was just average the rest of the way. The price point is fairly high on this cigar, but it did provide a lengthy smoking time of about three and a half hours, so there's some slight value there.
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.
The Particulares Deliciosos overall was fairly average. In the first third, once, the black pepper joined, it seemed a bit too aggressive compared to the rest of the profile. As the cigar progressed and the pepper faded away, it was fairly linear as it was slightly charred oak and mustiness. I don't really see myself coming back to this one and will revisit the No. 1 vitola instead.
The Protocol Confidential Informant started with a nice profile, but by the second third, things dropped down to average and maintained that level the rest of the way. This seemed to be pretty typical of the brands limited exclusives as they don't match up to how good the core line offerings are.