Haven't sat down with the intent of reviewing a stick in quite a while but got this one last weekend. Did some perusing online and didn't see too much about it. I did see that Rex was in the process of doing reviews on a Tesa sampler but another persons insight never hurts, I suppose. With that said here's my lunch break review.
Tesa Picadura King Habano
5 1/2 x 48
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo '98
Filler: Long and Short Esteli
I received this stick as a freebie from Jeff at Riverside Cigars in Jeffersonville, IN last weekend with a purchase I made. I had heard of the Tesa Cigar Co. but never tried any product. I knew today would be slow so I loaded it up this morning and waited til the time was right. I got to it after lunch. Rolling it between my fingers it felt nice and firm. No squishy spots. Veiny with a closed foot. Smells of sweet tobacco and hay. I keep a cheap v cutter in the truck so I clipped it and took a couple pre-light draws. A bit tight, I'm assuming the closed foot played a part in that. It had a slight hint of a spice on the lips. Draw seems earthy and a bit barnyard. Lets get down to business...
The stick fired right up and emits a good amount of smoke. As the foot burns away the draw opens up and I can tell this is going to be a good one. An inch in and the ash falls. A satisfying creaminess with notes of espresso and nuts are noticeable well throughout the first third.
About halfway in and the flavor profile hasn't changed much. The stick started out on the lower medium strength side but has ramped up a bit to the upper medium range. Ash is holding tight and looks great. Burn is staying inline for the most part and it's still rolling a fantastic smelling smoke.
Getting into the last third, the stick has a slight caramel note with a roasted nuttiness. Haven't needed to touch it up at all. I pulled the band off and nubbed it.
All in all I was surprised to get this much enjoyment out of a mixed filler stick. With the price range around $6.00 you can guarantee I will be getting a bundle. The facts that i didn't have to babysit the burn, it provided satisfying transitions in tastes and it smelled amazing made this a pleasure to review.
Enjoy!
-Matt
Tesa Picadura King Habano
5 1/2 x 48
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo '98
Filler: Long and Short Esteli
I received this stick as a freebie from Jeff at Riverside Cigars in Jeffersonville, IN last weekend with a purchase I made. I had heard of the Tesa Cigar Co. but never tried any product. I knew today would be slow so I loaded it up this morning and waited til the time was right. I got to it after lunch. Rolling it between my fingers it felt nice and firm. No squishy spots. Veiny with a closed foot. Smells of sweet tobacco and hay. I keep a cheap v cutter in the truck so I clipped it and took a couple pre-light draws. A bit tight, I'm assuming the closed foot played a part in that. It had a slight hint of a spice on the lips. Draw seems earthy and a bit barnyard. Lets get down to business...
The stick fired right up and emits a good amount of smoke. As the foot burns away the draw opens up and I can tell this is going to be a good one. An inch in and the ash falls. A satisfying creaminess with notes of espresso and nuts are noticeable well throughout the first third.
About halfway in and the flavor profile hasn't changed much. The stick started out on the lower medium strength side but has ramped up a bit to the upper medium range. Ash is holding tight and looks great. Burn is staying inline for the most part and it's still rolling a fantastic smelling smoke.
Getting into the last third, the stick has a slight caramel note with a roasted nuttiness. Haven't needed to touch it up at all. I pulled the band off and nubbed it.
All in all I was surprised to get this much enjoyment out of a mixed filler stick. With the price range around $6.00 you can guarantee I will be getting a bundle. The facts that i didn't have to babysit the burn, it provided satisfying transitions in tastes and it smelled amazing made this a pleasure to review.
Enjoy!
-Matt
