I don't normally write reviews because I'm not very good at it. I can detect flavors - no problem - but sometimes I'm not so good at describing them. The LGC Artesanos De Tabaqueros made my the task a little easier due to its unique construction. The first third of the cigar wrapper is a Connecticut Shade and the remainder is an Ecuadorian Sumatra.
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade and Ecuadoran Sumatra (Natural and Candela)
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican and Honduran
Size: Belicoso 6X52
Beverage: Ice water w/ lemon
This cigar was medium-bodied for me. The Sumatra section was a little stronger than the first third. They come in three sizes: beli, toro, and churchill, and cost about $8 each at most places. The cigar has been in my humi at 65/65 for about 30 days. It's firm with a slight give and the cap looks well made. No soft spots anywhere...Gotta love the look of a nice belicoso
.
Burn/Ash/Draw: The burn was not razor sharp, but I had no real problems with the progress. No touch-ups were needed, but it was close at one point. The ash was flaky and mostly Gray/White with some Black lines and spots. Thick White smoke throughout, and the draw was slightly loose to medium. The draw seemed a bit tighter as time passed during the 85 minute smoke.
First third: This was my favorite part of the cigar. The Connecticut portion provided some honey flavors at first. After several puffs, I could taste a nutty flavor, like almonds. The honey would come and go, but the nuts remained. A very nice combo. I liked it so much that I started smoking faster than usual - never a good thing. The first third was 30 minutes of stogie bliss. Like some other guys here, I'm not typically a big fan of Connecticut shade wrappers, but this was sweet indeed.
Final 2/3: For most of the cigar (the dark Sumatra wrapper section), the honey and nut flavors were absent completely. A cocoa flavor was dominant from here on out, and I could taste significantly more spice as the smoke progressed. With about an inch left, things started to heat up and so I had to lay her down.
The first third was terrific and the rest of the cigar was good, but the Sumatra portion (most of the cigar) didn't exceed my expectations in any way. This is an interesting smoke because of the immediate change in flavor profile during the transition between wrappers. In an instant... it became an entirely different cigar. The unusual construction provided an interesting lesson for me about how a wrapper can affect the flavor of a cigar.
Conclusion: I wish more of the cigar had the Conny wrapper. This cigar started out stellar and slowly declined in appeal after that, but all of it was enjoyable. I bought only two of these, but will probably get another fiver at some point. If this cigar retailed for $6, I'd likely buy many more of them, but at the $8+ level, the value is somewhat of an issue. Like most of you, the competition for my cigar dollar gets fierce north of $8.
Appearance: 8 / 10
Construction: 7 / 10
Draw/Burn/Ash: 6 / 10
First third: 9 / 10
Second third: 7 / 10
Final third: 6 / 10
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade and Ecuadoran Sumatra (Natural and Candela)
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican and Honduran
Size: Belicoso 6X52
Beverage: Ice water w/ lemon
This cigar was medium-bodied for me. The Sumatra section was a little stronger than the first third. They come in three sizes: beli, toro, and churchill, and cost about $8 each at most places. The cigar has been in my humi at 65/65 for about 30 days. It's firm with a slight give and the cap looks well made. No soft spots anywhere...Gotta love the look of a nice belicoso
.Burn/Ash/Draw: The burn was not razor sharp, but I had no real problems with the progress. No touch-ups were needed, but it was close at one point. The ash was flaky and mostly Gray/White with some Black lines and spots. Thick White smoke throughout, and the draw was slightly loose to medium. The draw seemed a bit tighter as time passed during the 85 minute smoke.
First third: This was my favorite part of the cigar. The Connecticut portion provided some honey flavors at first. After several puffs, I could taste a nutty flavor, like almonds. The honey would come and go, but the nuts remained. A very nice combo. I liked it so much that I started smoking faster than usual - never a good thing. The first third was 30 minutes of stogie bliss. Like some other guys here, I'm not typically a big fan of Connecticut shade wrappers, but this was sweet indeed.
Final 2/3: For most of the cigar (the dark Sumatra wrapper section), the honey and nut flavors were absent completely. A cocoa flavor was dominant from here on out, and I could taste significantly more spice as the smoke progressed. With about an inch left, things started to heat up and so I had to lay her down.
The first third was terrific and the rest of the cigar was good, but the Sumatra portion (most of the cigar) didn't exceed my expectations in any way. This is an interesting smoke because of the immediate change in flavor profile during the transition between wrappers. In an instant... it became an entirely different cigar. The unusual construction provided an interesting lesson for me about how a wrapper can affect the flavor of a cigar.
Conclusion: I wish more of the cigar had the Conny wrapper
. This cigar started out stellar and slowly declined in appeal after that, but all of it was enjoyable. I bought only two of these, but will probably get another fiver at some point. If this cigar retailed for $6, I'd likely buy many more of them, but at the $8+ level, the value is somewhat of an issue. Like most of you, the competition for my cigar dollar gets fierce north of $8.Appearance: 8 / 10
Construction: 7 / 10
Draw/Burn/Ash: 6 / 10
First third: 9 / 10
Second third: 7 / 10
Final third: 6 / 10
