Pre-light Experience

The Cubao No. 4 has a thick and toothy Colorado maduro/oscuro wrapper. The cigar feels well bunched and rolled providing no soft spots and an even give throughout the entire cigar. The veins and seams are for the most part well pressed and flawless. Wrapper aroma tells dry cocoa powder, soft cedar and almonds. Foot aroma tells sharp white pepper spice and cedar. Cold draw reveals namely sawdust and musk.

First Third

First third wastes no time providing powerful and balanced flavors of graphite minerality, rich nuttiness and bread. Further, blasts of palate layering black pepper spice that is classic old school Pepin. On the retrohale, substantial black pepper spice and cedar. The finish provides a rich, sweet and creamy nuttiness, cedar and mouth caking black pepper. Roughly an inch in, the cigar becomes sweeter and creamier, working well against the rich black pepper. Strength and body within the entire first third is a medium.

Second Third

Start of the second third gives me a good nicotine buzz, making my head a bit cloudy. Still powerful, distinctive and balanced notes of graphite minerality, palate layering black pepper, medium bodied sweet cream, cedar, rich nuttiness and bread. The retrohale is still black pepper dominant but less than the first third, being tamed slightly by the sweet cream, rich nuttiness and cedar. The finish continues to be full of sweet cream, cedar and mouth caking black pepper. Strength within the second third moves up to a medium plus while body stays at a medium.

Final Third

Last thirds flavor profile is namely based off of the first and second third with one noticeable transition. The black pepper takes a back seat and the flavors are namely minerality, wood and cream. Specifically, graphite minerality, cedar, rich nuttiness and bread. The strength is still making my head a bit foggy (medium plus) and body continues to be at a solid medium.

Burn

Almost picture perfect burn. The cigar burned slow and cool throughout the entire smoking experience. Further, solid ash marks being self tapped in average of 1.5 inches. Rarely does the burn get any better than this.

Draw

The draw was absolutely on point. Just the right amount of tightness providing effortless draws. All cigars should draw like this.

Overall

This cigar brought me back to the old days of smoking Pepin’s Blue and Black labels. The quintessential pepper blasts of old school Pepin put a warm smile on my face reminiscing of the good old days when the hobby was so new and fresh for me. Being roughly an 8 year old cigar, it held it’s spice during the test of time. I would happily smoke the rest of my box right now or give it a few more years to further allow the blend to meld together.

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

7.20

Scoring System