Friday, August 14, 2009

Don Lino 1989 Maduro Robusto

This cigar is an appealing sight with a dark chocolate hued wrapper that is glistening with oils. The wrapper has few veins and feels thick and hearty, there are no apparent flaws. A quick examination reveals a firm, seemingly well constructed smoke. The pre light aroma has a chocolatey presence and notes of light earth. The pre light draw is sweet and has a mild spice undertone.

The cigar begins with a strong chocolate character and a light undertone of earth and tobacco. A moderate shoulder is evident and I detect the presence of oil around the area of the burn. The smoke is sweet and full and is developing nicely.

At the one third point of the cigar the profile has not developed any further, but maintains chocolatey notes with hints of earth and light spice. I encounter the beginnings of a burn flaw but attempt to smoke through it, to no avail. The cigar canoes for nearly an inch and a half and I am forced to retouch with a lighter, a process that I have always believed reduces the character of the flavor profile and frequently introduces charred notes. This is no exception, and I experience charry notes for the next half inch.

At the half way point the charred notes have diminished and the cigar returns to a profile of chocolate and earth. The burn has still not recovered and another canoe begins to develop as I approach the final third of the cigar.

I am loathe to retouch this cigar again and I make the decision to evaluate the final third while fighting the burn issue. The profile is still of chocolate and earth with a light nicotine tingle at the back of the palate.

The finish is pleasant and is also of chocolate and earth. The burn issue never corrected itself and I finish the cigar with a canoe that is the size of one third of the cigar.

Appearance- 91 a very attractive cigar
Taste- 88 this cigar had nice flavor, but lacked complexity
Construction- 73 very poor as evidenced by two severe burn issues
Strength- 86 a medium smoke without any real strength characteristics
Overall- 84.5 obviously hurt by the construction

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