St.Luis Rey Serie G Maduro Rothchilde

This comes from a box that has about a year of humidor age on it. This particular blend used to be a regular part of my rotation, but it has slowly found it's way out over the past couple of years. The cigar presents with a very dark and oily wrapper that shows some veins. The cigar is firm and heavy and has some ruddy characteristics that give this smoke a rustic feel. The pre light aroma has hints of tobacco and dark fruit. The pre light draw has some intonations of pepper and tobacco.

The cigar opens with a profile of tobacco and rich earth. The smoke is straightforward, but shows enough depth to be enjoyable in the opening minutes. At the back of the palate there are prominent flavors of dark fruit and wood that throw some unexpected complexity into the mix. The draw is free and easy and booms out thick smoke. The burn is even and produces a firm white ash.

The first half of the smoke continues to surprise me, I have always liked these cigars but I had never detected this type of depth before, perhaps the aging is adding to the experience. The core profile shows notes of tobacco, earth and some white pepper. There is a level of complexity that is unexpected as well. At the back of the palate a straightforward presentation of dark wood has taken over. The draw continues to be easy and enjoyable. The burn shows some lopsidedness, but is not causing me any concern.

The final half of the cigar slows a little bit and becomes a more pedestrian presentation of flavors. The core profile shows overwhelming notes of earth, but not much else. At the back of the palate the flavor continues to be of dark wood, but there are some peppery notes as well. The draw and the burn continue to be acceptable throughout.

The finish is a bit short, but has flavors of tobacco and earth.

Appearance- 87 a bit rustic, but a nice looking smoke
Taste- 88 some late deterioration hurt a nice profile
Construction- 92 no issues other than a slight burn problem
Strength- 89 a nice full bodied smoke
Overall- 89.25 a very solid performer