Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is dark brown with some even darker marbling. There is a patchwork of fine veins that carry a darker color as well. The seams are slightly visible just due to the color variations on the wrapper. The head has a well applied triple cap. The band has a picture of a woman on it with a traditional style Cuban band behind her. The aroma from the wrapper is a floral perfumey note, but doesn’t carry the alcohol associated with perfumes. The foot gives a slightly grassy note with a bit of the floral perfume in the background. The pre-light draw brings a faint mix of leather and hay.

First Third

The cigar begins with a mix of a floral note and slightly spicy cedar. At a half inch in, the floral note and slight spicy cedar are present in the mouth and the retrohale and it is a very pleasant combination. At an inch in, the profile is maintaining the same balance of flavors. At an inch and a quarter, the slightly spicy cedar transitions to a general wood while the floral note remains. The retrohale still carries the slight spicy cedar and floral note. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the profile of floral and wood is continuing on. At three quarters of an inch in, the wood increases a bit which moves the floral note to the background. At an inch in, a little cocoa becomes present to mix with the wood and floral notes. As the third comes to a close, the wood becomes quite a bit darker while the cocoa and floral notes remain in the background. The strength in this third is slightly above medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the dark wood note remains up front with some cocoa and floral notes in the background. There is a slight bitterness to the finish as well. At a quarter inch in, some gritty earthiness joins the wood and pushes the cocoa and floral notes out of the profile. At an inch in, the grittiness goes away, but the earth is still there with the wood. The retrohale also carries the earthy wood note. This is the profile the cigar finishes with. The strength in this third was medium-full.

Burn

The burn had just a bit of waviness throughout. Ashes held on in inch and a half increments.

Draw

The draw was absolutely perfect with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

This is a pretty good cigar that is largely unknown. The floral notes the cigar provides are very nice, for those that enjoy such things as I do. As the cigar wraps up, those notes fade away and the cigar becomes darker and stronger. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this for a beginning for just that reason, but a regular smoker would likely appreciate the flavor and strength profile. While price doesn’t factor into our scores, it’s worth noting that this cigar carries an attractive price tag, so it could be something enjoyed often and be something for budget smokers to seek out. I’ve smoked a few of these in the past and would have no problem smoking more in the future.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.87

Cost/Point

$0.95

Scoring System

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