Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is light brown and has a couple of slightly raised veins present. The seams are very smooth and very well blended and the head is finished off with what appears to be a double cap. The top cap is finished with a twist and the end sticks out about a quarter inch. There are two bands with the primary being the standard Mombacho design but in gold and orange rather than gold and brown. The foot band uses the same color combination and denotes the line name and year. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of damp hay and leather while the foot brings a mix of hay, leather and slight stone fruit sweetness. The pre-light draw brings a lot of leather with a supporting stone fruit sweetness.

Pre-light Experience

The Mombacho Cosecha 2012 has a close to Colorado Red wrapper shade providing a copper like red hue. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, uniformed bunch and roll and the flared head is finished off with a well applied triple cap. Aromas from the wrapper give cedar, nuts and faint white pepper. Aromas off the foot gives deeper notes of the wrapper (cedar, rich nuttiness and white pepper). Cold draw reveals cedar, salted crackers and hay.

First Third

The cigar starts out with a mix of wood and cinnamon. At a quarter inch in, some cream and earth join the wood and cinnamon notes. At three quarters of an inch, the cinnamon is now primarily part of the long finish as the wood and cream are paired up in the front and the earth has left the profile. The retrohale carries a mix of the wood and cinnamon. As the third comes to a close, the wood and cream remain up front with the cinnamon really pronounced on the long finish. The strength in this third was slightly above medium.

First Third

Two words come to mind within the first third; balance and finesse. The flavor profile does a great job of showing that it is refined by giving well balanced notes of naturally sweetened dry nuts, cedar, slightly spicy baking spices and minerals. Retrohaling gives heightened baking spices, minerals and tart citrus. The finish is made up of a lingering dry cedar and nuts. Strength nears medium-full and body is at medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the cinnamon creeps back up so that it isn’t only present on the finish. At a half inch in, the cream reduces a bit allowing the profile to become slightly drying. At an inch in, some char joins with the wood while the cream and cinnamon are in the background. The retrohale presents a nice toasted oak note. At an inch and a half, the wood is more defined as oak and carries a bit of char while the cinnamon becomes a bit spicier and is now noticeable up front. The strength in this third remained at slightly above medium.

Second Third

The second third brings elevated minerals and spice to the profile with more baking spices and balanced black pepper. There’s also a creamed coffee note playing well with dry roasted nuts. The finish has the same notes as the first third (cedar and nuts), but becomes less drying. Strength still hovers in the medium-full range and body still medium.

Final Third

Getting into the final third, the cream has left the profile while the charred oak is what remains with a slight cinnamon finish. At a half inch in, some dry earthiness joins the charred oak and the cinnamon is now completely gone. After a few more draws, some bitterness joins in with the charred oak and earth. At an inch in, the bitterness fades back as the charred oak and earthiness remain up front. This is how the cigar finishes. The strength in this third bumped up to medium-full.

Final Third

The last third although still a tasty profile, throws off the balance and finesse. Two main factors contributes to this: 1) increase in wood and minerals drowns out the other nuances (especially the nuttiness). 2) Increase in strength (medium-full to full range) makes me concentrate more on the strength as compared to the flavors.

Burn

The burn was straight the entire way and never needed any attention. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.

Burn

Burn performance was overall good. The negatives were two fairly major touch-ups required within the first and second third, and flaky ashes. The positives were the ample smoke production, cool and slow burn.

Draw

The draw was a bit more snug than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.

Overall

The cinnamon note through the first two thirds was a nice note for the wood and cream to work with. Things became a little less dynamic in the final third, but that’s a bit to be expected. Construction was fantastic allowing me to focus on the flavor. This is a really cool concept and has me looking forward to smoking more of these and seeing what other year offerings will provide. If you’re a fan of Mombacho or like the concept, this cigar is a must try. Strength won’t be much of a factor as it’s flavor first.

Draw

Slightly tight for my liking but nonetheless a very good draw causing no major issues.

Overall

Mombacho continues to impress me as one of the epitomes of flavor and balance. This is especially evident in the 10th Anniversary, Liga Maestro Doble Robusto and now the Cosecha 2012. I find it difficult to find balance in the American cigar market these days and am glad I find it in these lines. The last third throws off this balance as the strength becomes a bit overbearing and there is a spike in earthiness and spice. But with further age, I’m hoping it will be remedied. I’m looking forward to future finesse blends by Claudio.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.67

Cost/Point

$3.29

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

7.88

Cost/Point

$2.78

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Mombacho Cosecha 2012