Recently my local B&M had a release party for this blend from Ashton, unfortunately I had a prior engagement and could not attend. The very next day, after hearing from several people that they enjoyed the evening and the cigar, I decided to grab one and give it a whirl.
The cigar presents well with regal looking band work and nice, dark wrapper that appears to have plenty of oils. There are some prominent veins and I am concerned what that may mean later in the smoke. An inspection reveals no areas of concern and I am ready to move forth into uncharted cigar territory. The pre light aroma is interesting, a combination of dark fruit and something I would liken to the deep forest, earthy with maybe a hint of pine. The pre light draw was actually a little flat, but I find wisps of earth there.
The cigar opens with a core profile that is a little less than what I would expect from this front mark, typically the Pepin made La Aroma's let you know they are there with a little slap out of the gate. This cigar does not exhibit that slap, instead there are some nice hints of pepper, wood and earth in the opening moments. At the back of the palate there are some nice soft spices and some nutty flavors that are balanced and even. The draw is a dream, Pepin has done it again, his cigars almost always draw exactly the way I like. The burn is off from the start, but I am loathe to re-light at this point.
The first half of the cigar regresses from the opening moments for me. The core profile thins out to a more mundane presentation of pepper and earth and has left the woody notes behind. At the back of the palate there are some impressions of spice still present, but there is a slight bitterness here that is off putting. The draw continues to perform exceptionally well, but the burn is still wonky though not in need of touch up yet.
The final half of the cigar shows some progress, but is still not showing enough depth or complexity like in the opening salvo. The core profile shows some light cocoa and coffee character with the backdrop of pepper and earth still showing through. At the back of the palate there are some dark wood notes, but some bitterness persists here. The draw is still excellent and the burn never evens and causes some flaky ash conditions, but I do not have to re-light at any point.
The finish was a bit short for me and showed some earth and pepper. I think this cigar has definite potential and I will age some for future tastings.
Appearance- 88 nice band work, but prominent veins hurt the visual
Taste- 87 just not enough depth or complexity and the first half was flat
Construction- 88 points removed for a wonky burn
Strength- 86 a not particularly remarkable medium/full, I expected more
Overall- 87.25 above average, but not spectacular
No comments:
Post a Comment