Having just reviewed this cigar's maduro brethren, to the tune of a much deserved 90+ rating, I was excited to see what this smoke was all about.
It presents with a heavy looking Habano wrapper that has some spots that seem dry to me. There are some large veins running the course of this smoke, but I don't think they will be causing any issues. The construction seems a touch firm near the head and I am speculating that there may be some draw issues as this smoke progresses. The pre light aroma is decidedly leathery, but there is odd sour note that touches the nose every so slightly here. The pre light draw is tight so I lightly do some work to loosen the smoke by rolling it through my fingers. As an aside, this is not something I would recommend to anyone unless you absolutely know what you are doing, if you apply too much pressure you will crack and unravel the wrapper. There are no real significant flavors in the pre light draw, but there are some fleeting touches of wood and leather.
The cigar opens with a profile that is decidedly sour in the early moments. I am not sure what this is about, but the taste is somewhat akin to the smell of a musty basement, not really where I want to be during the smoking experience. At the back of the palate there are some mushroom like flavors and some hints of dark wood, but nothing here is making me think that this will be a masterpiece of any kind. The draw is acceptable, but just barely so. The burn is solid and slow, there is a nice white ash forming that seems heavy.
The first half of the cigar show little improvement, with the exception of the exit of the basement tastes. The core profile is muddled and shallow, showing flavors of wood, earth and some leather, but there is nothing here that shows any character or depth. At the back of the palate there is an odd spice note that has a nutmeg tinge to it, but it is hard to isolate exactly what I am experiencing here. The draw is loosening more as the cigar heats up, but it is delivering the depth less flavors so it is no blessing. The burn is acceptable to this point and I will not have to retouch this cigar.
The final half of the cigar picks up some steam, but it would prove to be too little too late for this smoke. The core profile begins to sweeten, showing some sugarcane ideas, there is a satisfying leather tone to the smoke here as well. While these flavors are better, they are still neither complex or deep, which leads to a cigar that becomes less than palate compelling. At the back of the palate there are some nice shots of dark wood, but some horrible blasts of wet vegetation. The draw is fine now and the burn was consistent throughout.
All in all this was a disappointment. I would fully recommend the Maduro version of this cigar, but this one misses the mark by a wide margin.
Appearance- 87 not as nice to look at as the Maduro
Taste- 83 very subpar, a couple of points more due to the closing flavors, but still poor
Construction- 86 early draw tightness precludes a higher score
Strength- 85 a very mundane medium that did nothing to complement the experience
Overall- 85 an average score for a slightly below average smoke
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