Thursday, September 23, 2010

Guillermo Leon Gran Corona (6x47)

After hearing great things from fellow BOTL's about this cigar I waited anxiously and with bated breath for it's release. I wish I had continued holding my breath whilst smoking.

The cigar itself presents well with a dark brown wrapper that has plenty of oils and few veins. The application of the wrapper is excellent and a quick examination reveals no areas of concern. The pre light aroma is an interesting mix of dark wood and sweet clover essences. The pre light draw is a bit sour, but shows some notes of wood and spice.

The cigar opens with a profile that is thin and off putting. There are some notes of weird spice that are not pleasing and there is a cloying sweetness there as well that I would describe as almond. At the back of the palate there is a strange note of wood that has a sour bite to it. There is little depth or complexity early in the smoke. The burn and draw are average as the burn runs a touch and the draw is unremarkable.

The first half of the smoke is unremarkable and does not improve. The core profile remains too sweet and the spice notes are still not identifiable as anything other than strange. At the back of the palate the sour notes have taken over and it is difficult to work past these attributes. The draw and burn continue to be average, though the burn has evened out at this point.

The final half of the smoke recovers somewhat, but is still too little too late. The core profile becomes a mix of hickory notes and some notes of clove. At the back of the palate there are some nice notes of rich tobacco that come through, but there are still some sour ideas that persist here. The draw and burn stay ok, but are not noteworthy. I would say the entire experience was not noteworthy unfortunately.

The finish is short and shows some odd sweetness that lingers.

Appearance- 92 a nice looking smoke
Taste- 78 very little depth or complexity and sourness kills the profile
Construction- 85 average
Strength- 85 medium and average
Overall- 83.75 below average and I would not smoke another one

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