Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the oval pressed Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024 is dark tan, with some lightly raised veins. The seams are smooth, with the top cap on the head having a lifting edge around half of it. There are three bands, with the primary being white, gold and black and having the traditional design for the line and denoting the sub-line on front, with the company and line names on the sides. The secondary band is gold and white and denotes the company, while the foot band is white, gold, black and red and carries the TAA logo and denotes it as a TAA Exclusive and the year. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of cedar, hay and earth, while the foot brings the same combination along with some cotton candy sweetness. The pre-light draw brings floral sweetness along with cedar and hay, and there is a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024 is a decent looking cigar. The Connecticut wrapper has a slightly Natural coloring, and it is a darker hay color. Silky in texture, the wrapper has few veins, but those present are medium in size. The Oval head is a little off, and I am getting aromas of raisins, tobacco, earth, coffee and cream.
John: The Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024 came in cellophane and had a UPC sticker with the cigar information and an integrated tear space so it remained intact when opened. There is a Shikaka primary band shaped like a bat, and a secondary Espinosa band, along with a TAA 2024 Exclusive foot band. For artisanal complications, the cigar has a soft box pressed shape to it. I weighed the cigar at 15.9 grams.
Jiunn: The Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024 has a golden brown velvety Colorado claro wrapper shade. The shape of the cigar makes me think of AJ’s Oval, which I think is purdy cool. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas consist of high levels of barnyard, trailing nuts and cedar.

Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, dry earth and black pepper. At a half inch in, all three components are even in the profile. The retrohale is toasted cedar and dry earth, with mild black pepper. At an inch and a quarter, the dry earth gains a light chalkiness to it. At an inch and a half in, some light hay joins the profile. At an inch and three quarters, the chalkiness and hay morph into a construction paper note. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar and dry earth are even up front, with the black pepper and construction paper a bit behind. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third starts out with some cream, cedar and tobacco notes. Faint burnt paper qualities are present as well with some earth on the finish. There are some subtle coffee notes, but nothing major. Medium in strength and body.
John: My initial impressions are flavors of creamy chocolate, soft spices in the center that combine with wood, and mildly dry wood to finish. That wood lingers on the post draw and the soft spices in the center join after a short delay. The spices move rapidly from a light strength level to medium-minus as the first third settles in. A mild potting soil is present through the center of the profile as the cigar continues to evolve. Not long after, the spices have backed down to light strength, at roughly the one inch mark, and the dryness on the wood finish has departed. Mild bread notes come into the retrohale as it progresses towards the halfway point. The bread moves up towards the front of the profile and is joined by sweet tobacco.
Jiunn: The first third has vanilla sweetness and creaminess, followed by cedar and baking spices. The retrohale gives dried red pepper spice and also a vegetal herbal note that I can’t exactly identify. The finish is long with cedar and associated cedar tannins. Strength and body is medium.

Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the dry earth takes a slight lead in the profile. At a half inch in, the black pepper increases a bit. The retrohale remains toasted cedar and dry earth, with mild black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the dry earth is just ahead of the toasted cedar, with black pepper a bit further behind and some construction paper just passed the middle of the profile. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third delivers those cedar, cream and tobacco notes. I am getting some pepper qualities present with the burnt paper, and it has some earth and spice on the finish. Black coffee notes as well. Again, medium in strength and body.
John: The second third leads off with creamy bread, sweet tobacco and wood in the center and lingering wood on the post draw. Sweet tobacco teams up with some fruit sweetness in the center of the profile as the wood is still finishing the draw with mild wood on the post draw. That profile remains stable until the bottom half where wood intensifies to medium strength for the remainder of the second third.
Jiunn: The second third shows more baking spice and cedar tannins on the finish. The sweetness and creaminess is still there though, just a reorganization of flavors. Strength and body continues to be medium.

Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the overall profile is a bit dry. At a quarter inch in, the toasted cedar and dry earth become even once again. At three quarters of an inch in, the toast level of the cedar increases. The retrohale is now just toasted cedar and dry earth. At an inch and a quarter, the toast level becomes pretty heavy. As the cigar wraps up, the heavily toasted cedar and dry earth are even up front, with the black pepper a bit behind and the construction paper just behind the middle of the profile. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The final third delivers a flavor profile of cedar, tobacco, burnt paper and mineral notes. Strong pepper spices are present with faint cream qualities. Departure from the first two thirds. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: Creamy wood greets me in the last third with some mild smoky tobacco character in the center and a mild dry wood on the finish. Hay joins the finish as the last third settles in. Mild tobacco also joins the finish as the cigar continues towards the halfway point. Hay and wood are driving the flavors through the bottom half.
Jiunn: The final third loses out on the sweet and creaminess. But the other flavors of baking spices, cedar, cedar tannins and vegetal herbals are still intact. Strength and body finish the same medium.

Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout, and the ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: The burn was perfect throughout the entire cigar.
John: The burn was razor sharp through the first, second and last thirds.
Jiunn: Burn performance was flawless providing an even burn, tight ashes and cool burning temperature.

Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: The draw was perfect from beginning to end.
John: The draw was at most one notch towards the open spectrum, which puts it in the ideal range between open and resistant.
Jiunn: The draw was also flawless, providing the ideal balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar, dry earth and black pepper. Later, the earth gained a chalkiness to it and some hay joined in. The chalkiness and hay then morphed into construction paper. The second third saw the earth take a slight lead in the profile. The final third saw the cedar and earth become even and the toast level of the cedar became very heavy. The construction was absolutely perfect. The Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024 had an average flavor profile throughout, with toasted cedar and earth being the drivers and black pepper and construction paper supporting them. For me, the filler blend overpowered the shade wrapper, and didn’t provide much nuance or excitement. Not a cigar I’d see myself returning to.
Seth: The Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024 is a disappointing release. There was a lack of complexity and depth with the cigar. Poor transitioning. The burn and draw were great, but the flavors delivered were not up to par. I went in hoping for a 601 Black experience, but was left with a Connecticut in line with so many from 2024 and 2025. Underwhelming. It’s funny to smoke a cigar like this after smoking the Montecristo M and see the difference. The M may be $15.00 more, but far superior. Whether it was the wrapper or the blend itself, the Shikaka was disappointing. It’s also one of the few Oval releases that I have not enjoyed.
John: I thought the first third of the Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024 had a lot of complex flavor combinations and was likely tied for me in enjoyment with the regular Murcielago. The remainder of the cigar was pleasant and enjoyable, but not quite at the same level as the start. The construction was on point with a razor straight burn and perfect draw. Ignoring the price point for the moment, this is probably something I would smoke again. There’s a lot here to enjoy, and it’s quite a different flavor profile than most Espinosa cigars. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 11 minutes.
Jiunn: Another TAA that is good. What is happening in 2025? Whatever it is, keep this up because 2024 was overall shite. The Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024 had all the Connecticut shade that I look for and enjoy. From a baseline of sweet and creaminess to surrounding notes of wood and spices, this is what it should be. Well done.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$2.61

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.03

Cost/Point

$2.98

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.46

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$2.20

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Espinosa Murcielago Shikaka TAA Exclusive 2024