This is a cigar that I have reviewed before and that has scored well with me in the past. I have had this particular smoke in my humidor for over a year and it has visibly changed in that time losing some of the rich brown color that it once had, and is fading in hue to a more medium brown presentation. The construction appears to be excellent as I detect no issues in the cigar when I inspect it. The pre light aroma is of a fragrant nutty quality and there are some hints of spice. The pre light draw shows some notes of light coffee and there are some interesting notes of wood present as well.
The cigar opens with a core profile of spice and light wood notes that lace across the palate in a way that is unexpected, there is almost a cat and mouse quality to the work that is required to isolate the notes of wood that are present. At the back of the palate there are some notes of pepper and light coffee that are out of place against the core profile. The depth is not what I would like and the complexity could be there, but the flavors are not mingling well. The draw is a little tight, but I am not laboring to this point. The burn is strong and produces a nice ash.
The first half of the cigar continues to show a core profile of spice, there are still some fleeting hints of light wood but they are more and more difficult to identify. At the back of the palate some spates of pepper still present, but there are more coffee notes than anything else. I am shocked by how this cigar has mellowed with some humidor aging and I wish I had not lain it down for so long. The draw is still passable, but tighter than I would like. The burn continues to perform well and is not showing any sign of slowing down.
The final half of the smoke progresses some, but not in any way that I would identify as being anything but average. There are some notes of spice and wood continuing in the foreground of the profile, but they are joined by a strange dark chocolate note that is unexpected and, thankfully, fleeting as I believe that flavor would have become cloying. At the back of the palate an earthy presentation has taken over and there are no other discernible flavors in the mix. The draw stays tight, and the burn continues to perform well.
The finish was nice and smooth and showed some lingering flavors of wood.
Appearance- 88 a nice smoke, but not as flashy after some aging
Taste- 88 some complexity and depth issues, but it was above average
Construction- 87 some tightness in the draw, but other than that no issues
Strength- 89 aging significantly mellows the smoke, but not to it's detriment
Overall- 87.75 an above average experience, but not as good as my last review
This cigars have never been as good as their position in the lineup would indicate they are. A weird pepin anomaly for me.
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