The name of this cigar is quite a mouthful! What the hell is going on with the cigar names lately anyway? My Uzi Weighs a Ton, Humo Jaguar, La Gloria Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah... Whatever happened to the simpler cigar times of Punch Punch, Cohiba Siglo, Montecristo No.2? Seems to me the longer the name the more you are trying to hide in the cigar itself, as if having to read some multi-syllabic mouthful of cigar jargon will lull you into some sense of cigar euphoria and make you believe you are embarking on an epic cigar journey. Whatever! The cigar needs to speak for itself Mr. Cigar Maker Man, so don't give me all this hoo hah in the name and just give me a damn fine smoke! Rant over for now.
This cigar is a continuation of the legendary brand put on the map by one of my cigar heroes, Ernesto Perez Carrillo. General Cigars now holds the rights and they have been doing some things with it, namely the Artesanos line and the Serie N, none of which have blown me away. You see the overall quality of General Cigars products just hasn't been up to snuff in the last couple of years and the cigars that have been produced much bile in my sensitive cigar stomach. Ernesto must be quietly cursing the name that he made so famous because he will always be attached to it.
This cigar presents with a dry and dusty looking wrapper that has prominent veins and some greenish coloration in spots. The construction appears to be acceptable and I can't detect any areas of concern. The pre light aroma is of heavy cedar. The pre light draw is bitter but shows some woody character. I will add some visual props for some nice band work.
The cigar opens with a profile that is dry and bitter, it is trying to show some cedary qualities but they are not showing through well. At the back of the palate there are some very dry floral notes and my palate is getting scorched out by these dry flavors. The draw is way too loose and I worry about heat showing later in the cigar. The burn is a touch off, but I am not touching up at this point.
The first half of the cigar shows no development. The core profile stays bitter and dry with some wisps of cedar. At the back of the palate there are some hints of wood and a floral sweetness, but they dryness is killing this whole experience, I feel like I need to hack up a furball. The draw continues to be way too loose for me. The burn has corrected itself without issue.
The final half of the smoke continues to be inferior and offensive. The overwhelming dry character of this cigar has ruined any possibility of it being remotely enjoyable. The core profile is still trying to show cedar notes, but they are bitter. At the back of the palate there are still some floral implications, but they are not really anything but passable at this point. The draw stays loose all the way to the end, but I manage to keep the heat out of the smoke without issue. The burn collapses in the final third and a canoe forms, unfortunately this canoe sinks the experience.
The finish is bitter and has some fleeting hints of cedar.
Appearance- 82 just not nice to look at
Taste- 73 a really poor showing
Construction- 77 some really bad things going on here
Strength- 85 medium I guess, but it did nothing for the smoke
Overall- 77.75 very, very poor
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