The San Lotano Habano, a brother of the cigar being reviewed here, was in my Top 10 Cigar list from 2011 which is no small feat in my not so humble opinion. I have had several of these Ovals laying about for awhile now and I'm not sure why I was waiting to smoke this, particularly since I enjoyed the Habano so much. I have spoken to some that have smoked this cigar and I have heard only rave reviews, this ordinarily gives me pause, but in this case I was actually excited about it. I believe some of my excitement stems from my opinion of AJ Fernandez and the smokes they produce, many of which I have rated very highly right here on this blog. Further anticipation comes from the fact that one of my friends that hates just about every cigar he smokes loved this one, that is so rare that I can only be rapt with glee at the prospect of smoking this cigar.
The cigar presents very well. It is firm, but not too bulky, even though 54 ring is a bit too big for me normally, this one does not seem to be as large as indicated. The wrapper is absolute eye candy; nearly vein free, full of oils, a deep and rich brown coloration like milk chocolate it really gets the synapses in the brain firing on all cylinders about the experience that might be forthcoming. The pre light aroma is a heady mix of spice, cedar and white pepper. The pre light draw is full of satisfying tobacco flavor.
The cigar opens with a profile that has miles and miles of depth and complexity. The core flavors are pepper, spice, tobacco, earth and chocolate. The flavors are so deep and nuanced that it is difficult to discern all of them, but they are not muddled, instead they are so intricately layered that each flavor has it's own kingdom inside the profile. I have seldom experienced this kind of nuance in a smoke so early on. At the back of the palate there are some excellent earth and tobacco notes that are binding the whole experience together in a soldiering fashion, they know their role and they perform it flawlessly. The draw is a little tight for me, but I am hoping it opens up as the smoke progresses. The burn is dead even and a firm ash is forming nicely.
The first half of the cigar loses some of the nuance, but what is left continues to be very impressive. The core profile becomes a more focused presentation of tobacco and chocolate notes with some sprays of pepper to keep things interesting. This thinning of the profile is somewhat disappointing after the beginning salvo, but it continues to be very solid. At the back of the palate the flavors of earth and tobacco continue to march on providing a solid backdrop for the entire flavor experience. The draw is still a touch tight, but I am managing well enough. The burn stays solid.
The final half of the cigar really let me down. It was not bad, far from it, but I was expecting an epic ending after the phenomenal beginning and solid middle. Maybe part of the charm was that this did not happen, as it does so often in other cigars. I feel like the decision was made to just let the cigar speak for itself and not do anything to punch up the ending, looking back I think this could be an excellent choice. The core profile begins to show cedar notes and some beautiful pepper flavors return here, they are subtle, but add so much to the experience. At the back of the palate there are booming flavors of earth and some nice, rich tobacco flavors as well. The consistency of these final moments are what smokers will remember and that is key. The draw is fine, but still tight for me. The burn was solid to the end.
The finish was earthy and satisfying for several moments after completion.
Appearance- 94 a very attractive smoke
Taste- 91 very, very solid some follow through of early flavors would have been nice
Construction- 90 excellent, points removed for draw tightness
Strength- 92 a wonderfully full bodied, medium strength cigar
Overall- 91.25 an absolute must smoke
No comments:
Post a Comment