I fired one of these up after tennis today (6-4, 3-6 split). I also had lunch before smoking as I'd heard these were a bit on the strong side.
Size: 5" x 50 robusto
Wrapper: Ecuadorian-grown, habano-seed
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaraguan
Pre-Light: Nice looking milk chocolate wrapper. Shiny with some smaller veins. Light tobacco aromas with hints of flowers and barnyard. Solid construction.
First 1/3: Smooth + easy draw with lots of thick bluish/gray smoke. About a medium body with flavors of creamy leather and black pepper. Razor sharp burn and a very solid ash that held on for an inch and a half.
Final 2/3: The next 2/3rds of the cigar essentially performed the same. I think the flavors really shined here, but there were some other issues. The body was still a solid medium (maybe a touch more) and the easy draw continued to provide tons of thick smoke. The flavors changed though and became very complex. The competing themes were a lighter white pepper, a nice creamy mocha/dark chocolate and woody tobacco. The dominant flavor flip-flopped among these three every 5 minutes or so ... it was quite interesting. The burn became very erratic though, with one side burning faster than the other. Many times I was tempted to correct with my lighter, but it always seemed to correct itself. Also the ash became very flowery and flaky and would not stay on more than 1/2" or so.
I took this down to about 3/4", at which point I started noticing that I was getting a bit light headed. I didn't get nauseous or anything, but could definitely feel the effects.
Overall: I thought this was a very good stick. If not for the burn and ash issues, I'd say it was one of the best I've had recently. These retail for around $6-7, but you can find them cheaper.
Size: 5" x 50 robusto
Wrapper: Ecuadorian-grown, habano-seed
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaraguan
Pre-Light: Nice looking milk chocolate wrapper. Shiny with some smaller veins. Light tobacco aromas with hints of flowers and barnyard. Solid construction.
First 1/3: Smooth + easy draw with lots of thick bluish/gray smoke. About a medium body with flavors of creamy leather and black pepper. Razor sharp burn and a very solid ash that held on for an inch and a half.
Final 2/3: The next 2/3rds of the cigar essentially performed the same. I think the flavors really shined here, but there were some other issues. The body was still a solid medium (maybe a touch more) and the easy draw continued to provide tons of thick smoke. The flavors changed though and became very complex. The competing themes were a lighter white pepper, a nice creamy mocha/dark chocolate and woody tobacco. The dominant flavor flip-flopped among these three every 5 minutes or so ... it was quite interesting. The burn became very erratic though, with one side burning faster than the other. Many times I was tempted to correct with my lighter, but it always seemed to correct itself. Also the ash became very flowery and flaky and would not stay on more than 1/2" or so.
I took this down to about 3/4", at which point I started noticing that I was getting a bit light headed. I didn't get nauseous or anything, but could definitely feel the effects.
Overall: I thought this was a very good stick. If not for the burn and ash issues, I'd say it was one of the best I've had recently. These retail for around $6-7, but you can find them cheaper.
