I smoked this puppy tonight in honor of Fidel's resignation. A couple buddies came over and we fired up some sticks in the back yard while shooting the sh*t. This is the first important thing to note: my reviews and appreciation of distinct flavors tend to suffer when I'm smoking with friends because I find myself more captivated with the company than with the cigar. I don't mind this arrangement at all, even though this particular stick tried very hard to keep my attention away from my friends.
Appearance: 15/15
A silky smooth natural brown wrapper beautifully encased this cigar. There were no particularly large veins through the stick. It looked nothing but delicious, especially after my inspection led me to notice the triple cap! I knew I was in for a treat. I felt like a successful mushroom hunter, noticing all those caps.
Draw: 7/10
I had some problems early-on with a tight draw. After the first half-inch, the draw evened out to perfection. I guess the stick just needed half an inch of foreplay before it loosened up.
Smoke: 10/10
Even when the draw was tight, the cigar was throwing smoke around like nobody's business. Not only was there plenty of smoke; it was also aromatic. I loved the sweet smell of the smoke as it wafted through the night air.
Ash: 10/10
This thing had a tighter ash than J-Lo. It was a bright white I haven't seen often. Absolute perfection in this category.
Burn: 9/10
I had to touch it up once because it was getting uneven. It probably could have fixed itself in time, but I didn't want to take the chance. More importantly, it continued to burn perfectly while I took a bathroom break and let it sit for a few minutes. I picked it up again and could hardly tell that I'd put it down at all.
Flavor: 19/20
I had a hard time picking out individual flavors in this stick. A complicated pepper taste lasted all the way from one end to the other. In the first half, it was more earthy, while the second half held a creamier taste. Other than that, I couldn't pick out many of the subtle variations that I tasted. They were definitely there, but my palate isn't quite refined enough to decide exactly what they were. All I really know is that the whole stick was delicious.
Finish: 15/15
As I write this, that peppery flavor I talked about is still floating around in my mouth. It's too bad I can't pinpoint exactly what that flavor reminds me of. The finish is strong, but not harsh. This would not be the cigar to choose if you're the kind of smoker who wants to smoke it and be done with it. Instead, it's the cigar you should choose if you want a hard-to-describe flavor dancing in your mouth, taunting you to figure it out.
Uniqueness: 10/10
The flavor profile was incredible, the stick was magnificently constructed, and the triple cap alone has to raise this score. For me, the finish puts the uniqueness score over the top.
Final Thoughts
I would smoke this cigar again anytime. I have very few negative things to say about it. The only real issue I had was the tight draw, and that corrected itself. This cigar was the perfect way to honor the life, times, and retirement of Fidel Castro.
Final Score: 95
