This diminutive smoke is new from Manuel Quesada of Fonseca fame and I was excited to see something in this size as I am tired of 54+ ring gauge cigars. This cigar has all the makings of a little firecracker. The wrapper is leathery and full of lustrous oils, there are few veins and it is applied well. An inspection of the cigar leaves me little concern about how it will perform. The pre light aroma is floral with slight cinnamon notes. The pre light draw is spicy, but shows some bitterness.
The cigar opens with a blast of rich leather, tobacco and spice flavors. This initial impression quickly dissipates and a more robust flavor of black pepper takes over. There is some bitterness in the opening half inch and a metallic undertone that is upsetting the profile. At the back of the palate the metallic undertone is more prominent. The draw is a bit tight, but I am accustomed to this trait in small cigars. The burn is slow and almost smoldering, I am concerned about this attribute so early as it usually leads to a fight later in the smoke.
In the first half of the cigar there is little development. Black pepper dominates the core profile, but there are still some bitter tones that hurt the overall performance. At the back of the palate the metallic notes persist and thus draw enjoyment away from the experience. As predicted I have begun the relight battle with this cigar and have to fire it back up five or six times throughout the smoke. The draw remains tight, but acceptable.
The final half of the cigar picks up steam in the strength category and erupts into an ultra full bodied presentation. The core profile maintains a black pepper center, but there are some spicy chocolate notes present as well. At the back of the palate there are still some metallic notes, but some cinnamon flavors have come forward as well. The burn continues to be poor, but the draw performs throughout.
The finish was short and showed some charred flavors with a peppery undertone.
Appearance- 92 a very enticing looking smoke
Taste- 82 unfortunate bitter and metallic notes overshadow the profile
Construction- 75 the burn issues kill this smoke
Strength- 88 a very nice full profile
Overall- 82.25 a very sub par smoke, very disappointing
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