Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is a medium brown with a couple of medium sized veins present. There are three very well applied caps and the foot is covered by excess wrapper folded over. The band is the standard HR design but with a greenish blue primary color and silver and white accents. I don’t get any detectable aroma from the wrapper, but the foot gives a slightly sweet tobacco through the small opening in the closed foot. The pre-light draw is just a dry hay with a little spiciness on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The H.R. Blue Petit Edmundo has a hearty maduro shade wrapper. Veins are well pressed and seams tight. The cigar is packed full of tobacco with very little give. The head is finished off with a well applied triple cap. Nosing the wrapper gives black pepper, cedar and faint barnyard. Nosing the enclosed foot gives strong white pepper and cedar. Cold draw reveals dry cardboard and faint black pepper.

First Third

The cigar begins with a dark, earthy, woody and spicy profile. A quarter inch in, this profile is working together nicely. The retrohale is earthy with a medium level pepper to it. At a half inch in, the spice settles way down and the earthiness lessens a bit while the wood is up front. At an inch in, the wood is staying up front while the earthiness and pepper are at the same levels in the background. The retrohale has now lost the pepper and is just earth. As the third comes to a close, some cream joins in with the wood and pushes out the spice while the earthiness is still in the background. The strength in this third is medium-full.

First Third

The first third’s flavor profile is one that is quite drying on the palate. Notes of dry earth, dry cocoa, dry oak and dry black pepper spice sitting on the back palate and throat. Through the nose, scorching black pepper, oak and faint dry nuts. The finish has the same drying effect, lingering with black pepper and dry wood, and a heated spice. Strength is medium-full and body in between medium and medium-full.

Second Third

As this third begins, the earthiness picks back up and evens out with the creamy wood. At a half inch in, a little bitterness joins the profile. At an inch in, the cream increases and really smooths out the profile by pushing the slight bitterness to just the finish. As the third comes to an end, the cream settles back down and evens out with the wood and earthiness. The strength in this third was medium-full.

Second Third

The second third’s profile shows improvement mainly because the dry black pepper is no longer weighing on the rear palate on my throat. Instead, the note is better mingled with dry earth, cocoa, oak and bread. The spice however is still very prevalent through the retrohale, in conjunction to the oak and dry nuts notes. The finish also lets off on the spice, leaving me with namely dry oak. Strength and body remains unchanged at medium-full and somewhere in between medium and medium-full, respectively.

Final Third

As this third begins, the very creamy wood and earthiness continues. At a half inch in, the bitterness picks up a little bit and the retrohale gains a little baking spice to go along with the wood. At three quarters of an inch in, the bitterness settles back down and the creamy oak and earthiness take front stage once again. This is how the cigar finishes. The strength in this third was medium-full.

Final Third

The last third mimics the second third in every way. Still notes of dwindled black pepper, dry earth, cocoa, oak and bread. Through the nose, intense black pepper, oak and dry nuts. The finish is mainly a lingering oak. Strength remains at medium-full and body still somewhere in between medium and medium-full.

Burn

The burn was perfect and ashes held on in inch and a quarter increments.

Burn

The only downside to the burn was a major touch-up required within the first third. Other than that, burn time was great, hovering right around the two hour mark. Burn line was fairly sharp and ash marks pretty well structured averaging 1.5 inch increments.

Draw

The draw started out great and then got tighter as the cigar went along and was fairly firm by the end.

Overall

This is a really nice cigar. A nice set of dark flavors with the wood and earth and a good creamy component. I could see this being a very good after dinner smoke, especially after something like a steak. The strength level is up there, so newer smokers or those that like low strength cigars, take note. I could definitely see myself enjoying more of these and would have no problem recommending this to others.

Draw

The draw although was cool throughout the entire smoking experience, was a bit tight. A major stem after the cut might have been the cause of this.

Overall

This was overall an average cigar. I felt the cigar was too dry on the palate. Compound the dryness to the spice level sitting on my throat makes it difficult to fully appreciate the other flavors. Perhaps it was an over-use of the Pennsylvania Broadleaf. I’m hoping the white label in HR’s brand will provide a better experience.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.93

Cost/Point

$1.23

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.33

Cost/Point

$1.59

Scoring System