I was the recipient of this rare gift from Billy Perdomo on the second night of the trip. The cigar was a set up of sorts as he would not tell me what it was and left it up to me to determine the front mark. I chose to leave it until after dinner when I have always felt my palate is the most discriminating.
The cigar presents in an imposing figurado shape named Trompeta, or Trumpet, and it looks just like it's instrumental namesake. The cigar is heavy and firm, but I can't seem to find any areas that would cause me any concern before lighting. The wrapper is dark and beautiful, showing little veining and no flaws. The cigar has a rich appearance and the wrapper is smooth and oily. The pre light aroma is of rich tobacco, light spice and coffee. The pre light draw shows strong tobacco character.
The cigar opens with a profile that is profound and refined beyond almost any cigar I have ever smoked. There are notes of rich, refined tobacco that coat the palate with layers of flavor. There are also some hints of dark fruit, light spice and coffee flavors that are adding to the complexity of the early portion of this cigar. At the back of the palate there are some notes of sweet earth that compliment the core profile splendidly. The draw is a touch tight, but I attribute that to the vitola and not the cigar itself. The burn is slightly off early in the smoke, but I am not concerned about it.
The first third of the cigar continues to impress me with it's extensive profile. There are notes of strengthening coffee, the refined tobacco character is still prominent and there is still a pleasing note of light spice that has some more bite to it as the smoke progresses. At the back of the palate there are still some notes of sweet earth, but some notes of dark wood are present as well. The draw has opened perceptibly and the burn is evening out nicely.
The middle third really kicks up the power. The core profile is showing strong tobacco flavor with undertones of pepper and spice. At the back of the palate dark wood notes have taken over and the overall impression of the profile is excellent. The draw and burn have both settled nicely and are performing very well.
The final third of the smoke is not for the timid. There are very powerful notes of tobacco and pepper, but they are extremely refined and pleasant. At the back of the palate there are still notes of dark wood, but the sweet earthy notes are making their return at this point. The burn and draw are still performing well.
The finish is long and smooth leaving crisp impressions of tobacco, pepper and wood. For those interested I also nailed the guess and shocked Billy.
Appearance- 93 a very nice looking smoke
Taste- 97 an excellent profile that is an instant classic
Construction- 92 some early issues hurt the score, but the back end performance was well above average
Strength- 94 an excellent full bodied experience
Overall- 94.25 a near classic cigar for me, without the early issues it would have been
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