I have been on a review hiatus for awhile and it has vexed me, but sometimes the working to pay the bills thing gets in the way. When this happens I smoke old standbys that I know I have reviewed before because it's not like I'm a gonna stop smoking.
This particular cigar was discovered in a sweet little B&M in New Orleans and I had never, ever heard of it. The proprietor there clued me in and it was the beginning of a nice friendship between he and I. As for the relationship with the cigar, well the review follows.
The cigar presents well with a nice medium brown wrapper that has little veining and nice oils. From a distance the back will make you think RyJ or Partagas, but do not be fooled this is neither of those. The construction is flawless and I detect nary a tight or loose spot in the body of the cigar. The pre light aroma is of light spice, wood and vanilla. The pre light draw shows flavors of vanilla and wood.
The cigar opens with an unexpectedly smooth, but full, presentation of white pepper and wood flavors. There is depth aplenty here and the flavors are bold and really delivering. At the back of the palate there is a sharp spice and some nice flavors of anise. The draw is cubanesque, in that it is slightly tight, but it delivers ample smoke without too much effort. The burn is a bit akimbo but I don't have any concerns about it as the cigar will progress.
The first half of the smoke continues to show very nice flavor. There are still some excellent strains of white pepper, but a creamy vanilla note has entered the smoke here as well providing a fantastic counterpoint to the pepper flavors. At the back of the palate a very nice wood flavor dominates the profile, but there are still some very nice hints of spice playing with the pepper and vanilla from the front of the smoke. The draw loosens some, but is still a touch too tight without causing issues. The burn has evened out nicely and the cigar is booming along without any concern on my part.
The final half of the cigar continues to be strong. The main profile shows vanilla and spice notes that are complemented by an undertone of wood. At the back of the palate there are still some excellent notes of spice that have mulled some, but they are replaced by a finish of anise that checks the palate the nicely. The draw continues to be a touch tight, but it is performing well. The burn is excellent at this point.
The finish is smooth and long showing some nice anise notes well after the end is deposited into my ashtray. All in all this is an excellent find and I bought the rest of what he had in the store, and I purchased several of the other blends Curivari offers.
Appearance- 91 a nice looking smoke
Taste- 92 some very nice depth and the flavors were all complementary of one another
Construction- 89 some tightness in the draw and early burn issues lead to the deduction
Strength- 93 a very nice medium that lends to smoking early in a lineup without killing the palate
Overall- 91 a very solid smoking experience
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