Aaron Loomis

 John McTavish

Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Don Emmanuel Anunnaki Anu is light brown with some hints of green and carries some raised veins and a network of fine veins. The seams are smooth and the head is well finished. There are two bands, with the primary being black, cream and silver and carrying the brand name and logo. The secondary band is cream and silver and denotes the line. The aroma from the wrapper is lightly smoky wood and construction paper, while the foot brings musty cedar and some earth. The pre-light draw is a very distinct musty humidor cedar along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
John: The Don Emmanuel Anunnaki Anu comes packaged with a UPC sticker containing cigar information, though it tears upon opening. The cigar features a primary band displaying the brand, with a QR code on the back, and a secondary band denoting the cigar name. I weighed the cigar at 18.5 grams and measured the humidity at 63.8% using the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper presented sweet tobacco and mild wood, while the foot offered even sweeter tobacco along with hay.

Don Emmanuel Anunnaki Anu

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with musty, toasted cedar, earth and some black pepper. At a half inch in, the black pepper increases a bit, and some creaminess joins the profile. The retrohale is lightly musty, toasted cedar, zingy black pepper and some earth. At an inch and a quarter, the black pepper becomes a bit dull. At an inch and a half in, the toast level increases a bit. As the third comes to a close, the musty, toasted cedar is up front, with the earth a bit behind, dull black pepper just ahead of the middle of the profile and some creaminess in the back half. The strength was right at medium.
John: The first third opens with light, sweet tobacco leading the profile, followed by a mild, lingering wood finish. As the cigar settles in, mild bread notes emerge through the retrohale, complementing the wood. Light-plus strength tannins begin to accent the wood through the finish. In the bottom half, the profile evens out into a balanced combination of sweet tobacco, baking spices, bread and wood, all sharing equal intensity.

Don Emmanuel Anunnaki Anu

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the earth increases a bit. At a quarter inch in, the black pepper mellows a bit. The retrohale is now toasted cedar, earth and some black pepper. At an inch in, the black pepper has become pretty mellow. At an inch and a half in, the black pepper picks back up. At an inch and three quarters, a vegetal note joins in and pairs up with the creaminess. As the third comes to a close, the musty, toasted cedar is just ahead of the earth, with black pepper in the middle of the profile and a creamy vegetal in the back half. The strength remained at medium.
John: The second third begins with creamy wood and baking spices, while mildly dry, tannic wood defines the post draw. As the cigar progresses, sweet wood takes the lead, with baking spices acting as a supporting accent. The profile remains steady but shows limited evolution.

Don Emmanuel Anunnaki Anu

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper mellows once again. At a half inch in, the black pepper picks back up. The retrohale is now musty, toasted cedar, earth and light black pepper. At an inch in, the earth becomes even with the musty, toasted cedar up front. Asa the cigar wraps up, the musty, toasted cedar and earth are even up front, with black pepper in the middle of the profile and a creamy vegetal note in the back half. The strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
John: The final third opens with creamy baking spices and wood, with baking spices and tannic wood continuing to define the finish. As the cigar settles in, some bitterness enters the post draw, briefly impacting the profile. By the halfway point, the bitterness largely fades, leaving mildly dry wood as the primary flavor driver.

Don Emmanuel Anunnaki Anu

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy throughout, and the cigar went out four times, requiring re-lights.
John: The burn was uneven in the first third and required a touch-up to correct. It remained uneven in the second third but didn’t require intervention, and was only mildly uneven through the final third.

Don Emmanuel Anunnaki Anu

Draw

Aaron: The draw was fairly snug throughout and caused some times where it was tough to pull enough smoke through the cigar. I believe the snug draw along with some poor burning filler tobacco led to the multiple re-lights.
John: The draw measured 30 inches of water on the Cigar Medics draw tester. Subjectively, it sat perfectly within the ideal range, delivering an effortless and satisfying draw throughout.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with musty, toasted cedar, earth and some black pepper. The black pepper then increased a bit and some creaminess joined in. Later, the black pepper became a bit dull and then the toast level increased a bit. The second third saw the earth increase a bit. Then the black pepper became pretty mellow, but then ramped backup. Later, a vegetal note joined in and paired up with the creaminess. The final third saw the pepper mellow again and then return to its previous level. Then, the earth became even with the toasted cedar up front. The cigar struggled with the burn as it seemed the filler tobacco didn’t want to burn very well, and in combination with the snug draw would go out. The Don Emmanuel Anunnaki Anu had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around the musty, toasted cedar and earth. The secondary notes didn’t really do anything to enhance the profile. Not sure if the burn issues contributed to the lackluster flavor experience or not. I may come back to this in another vitola to see what they have to offer, but it’s not necessarily high on my list.
John: This cigar opens with a balanced and approachable first third, where sweet tobacco, bread, baking spices and wood all work together without any single component dominating. There’s a pleasant harmony early on, and the profile feels well-rounded, even if it doesn’t push into more complex territory. As the cigar transitions into the second and final thirds, the profile begins to narrow, with wood, particularly in its drier, more tannic form which takes on a more dominant role. While the baking spices and sweetness remain present at times, they shift into supporting roles rather than continuing to evolve. The brief appearance of bitterness in the last third adds a moment of distraction, though it fortunately fades before becoming a defining issue. From a construction standpoint, the cigar performs well overall. The draw is excellent and consistently in the ideal range, while the burn, despite some unevenness, remains manageable with minimal intervention. In the end, the Don Emmanuel Anunnaki Anu delivers a solid but ultimately average experience. It offers a smooth, balanced start but gradually transitions into a more wood-driven and less dynamic profile. It’s an easygoing cigar that doesn’t challenge the palate, but it also doesn’t quite deliver the evolution needed to stand out. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 19 minutes.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

4.58

Cost/Point

$3.27

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$2.50

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Don Emmanuel Anunnaki Anu