Saturday, January 23, 2010

Esteban Carreras Habano Robusto

This is a boutique cigar that has been kicking around for awhile. I have smoked these before, but never subjected them to the rigors of a review. The cigar presents well, in a thick robusto vitola, with a dark brown wrapper that shows plenty of tooth. The construction seems acceptable, but there are some soft spots that I am concerned with. I also note a serious wrapper flaw in the final third of the cigar that could be troublesome. The pre light aroma is of earth and light coffee. The pre light draw shows some pepper and earth with a touch of spice.

The cigar opens with an interesting profile of earth, coffee and pepper. The flavors are a bit shallow, but they are still identifiable. At the back of the palate there are some loamy flavors that are muddling the profile. The draw and burn are performing acceptably.

The first half of the cigar continues to show a profile that is too thin and lacking in complexity. There are some flavors of earth and light coffee, but the overall impression is lacking. At the back of the palate the loamy notes continue to muddle the overall profile. The draw is still acceptable, but the burn is threatening to canoe.

The final half of the cigar unravels in a bad way. The flaw in the wrapper has caused an untoward burn flaw. I am confronted with a cigar that looks as if it has exploded and the profile becomes charred in my efforts to smoke through the issue. There are notes of pepper and earth, but they are marred by charred overtones. The draw continues to be acceptable, but the burn issues kill the remainder of the smoke.

The finish is charred and the final inch was unsmokeable.

Appearance- 83 a very average looking smoke with noticeable flaws
Taste- 84 a below average experience
Construction- 74 too many issues to score any higher
Strength- 80 a below average medium
Overall- 79.75 a forgettable cigar

No comments:

Post a Comment