After searching for LADCEE threads, I found this review done a few months ago. There was talk that this had been re-blended and I wanted to offer my take, for what it's worth.
Size: Belicoso (5.2in x 52ring)
Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuador (Sungrown)
Filler: Nicaragua
Appearance: 9/10
Construction: 28.25/30
Pre-light notation: The cigar has a wrapper that isn't overly oily. The smooth caramel shaded Ecuadorian wrapper has well pressed veins that are handled with care. There are no soft spots and the triple cap is neat and tidy.
The most noticeable notes from a pre-light inspection are hints of cocoa at the foot, along with pepper and barnyard in tandem from an unlit draw.
During the smoke, a few touch-ups were necessary and the ash fell once near the beginning of the second third. The draw was minutely tight. Aside from that there were no other issues.
Taste: 52.25/60
1/3: The first two draws were unusually bitter and something I wasn't accustomed to from this stick. By the third draw all was fine. Throughout the initial third of the cigar there were flavors of peppery spice, coffee and caramel. Aroma and scent through the nasal passage was of roasted nuts and ceder.
2/3: In the second third, the sweetness of the caramel built. Almost to a vanilla-esque peak. It matched the smooth, creamy smoke's texture. The coffee notes died down while the flavors of leather and cocoa intensified. Ceder is still present through the nose, along with the roasted nuttiness.
3/3: Nearing the finish, the stick's leather and pepper began to bear down. All aforementioned flavors remained, but were dwarfed by the rising tide.
One of my favorite cigars at the moment it was enjoyable to review it in the company of a nice evening; little breeze, new issue of CA and the GF doing some late night landscaping nearby.
For the first 2/3rd's of the smoke, it had a very nice complexity with various nuances at play. In the initial third, there was a spicy pepper vs. creamy caramel on the palette. Through the nose, the roasted nuts vs. the ceder.
With the flavors growing bolder in the 2nd third, there was a richer cocoa vs. coffee exchange that fit the mood, and character of the stogie well.
At the end is where it red lined, slightly. I like this stick because it hugs that overpowering boundary for me with determination. For 95% of this stick I felt it was in control and that it was constantly in need of assessment. A good head on it's shoulders.
Overall: 89.5
Size: Belicoso (5.2in x 52ring)
Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuador (Sungrown)
Filler: Nicaragua
Appearance: 9/10
Construction: 28.25/30
Pre-light notation: The cigar has a wrapper that isn't overly oily. The smooth caramel shaded Ecuadorian wrapper has well pressed veins that are handled with care. There are no soft spots and the triple cap is neat and tidy.
The most noticeable notes from a pre-light inspection are hints of cocoa at the foot, along with pepper and barnyard in tandem from an unlit draw.
During the smoke, a few touch-ups were necessary and the ash fell once near the beginning of the second third. The draw was minutely tight. Aside from that there were no other issues.
Taste: 52.25/60
1/3: The first two draws were unusually bitter and something I wasn't accustomed to from this stick. By the third draw all was fine. Throughout the initial third of the cigar there were flavors of peppery spice, coffee and caramel. Aroma and scent through the nasal passage was of roasted nuts and ceder.
2/3: In the second third, the sweetness of the caramel built. Almost to a vanilla-esque peak. It matched the smooth, creamy smoke's texture. The coffee notes died down while the flavors of leather and cocoa intensified. Ceder is still present through the nose, along with the roasted nuttiness.
3/3: Nearing the finish, the stick's leather and pepper began to bear down. All aforementioned flavors remained, but were dwarfed by the rising tide.
One of my favorite cigars at the moment it was enjoyable to review it in the company of a nice evening; little breeze, new issue of CA and the GF doing some late night landscaping nearby.
For the first 2/3rd's of the smoke, it had a very nice complexity with various nuances at play. In the initial third, there was a spicy pepper vs. creamy caramel on the palette. Through the nose, the roasted nuts vs. the ceder.
With the flavors growing bolder in the 2nd third, there was a richer cocoa vs. coffee exchange that fit the mood, and character of the stogie well.
At the end is where it red lined, slightly. I like this stick because it hugs that overpowering boundary for me with determination. For 95% of this stick I felt it was in control and that it was constantly in need of assessment. A good head on it's shoulders.
Overall: 89.5
