There are times when I buy cigars and plant them in my humidor that I completely forget about them. This is one of those times. I bought this cigar some time ago at a Tampa B&M as part of a twenty singles for 20% off deal. As I perused the offerings that day I found some real gems that I had not seen before, this cigar was in amongst those. To be honest I don't even remember selecting it, I must have needed a few more to round out my twenty. I then plopped it into my humidor and there it remained, a cigar after thought in my humidor universe. Every once in a awhile I paw through all my random cigars looking for something I have not reviewed, yesterday was one of those times, and the La Sirena was my chosen victim.
The cigar is difficult to view due to the insanely large band that has been draped across the entire freaking cigar. I have never seen a band of this size, and the artwork is dizzying in both color and graphics. It actually covers about two thirds of the smoke, if not more, that is too much real estate to cover with a band and it makes smokers like me suspicious. Once I finish the incredibly long undertaking of removing that huge band I can get down to business. The cigar is decent looking, but there are some flaws. I'm not sure if they are from wrapper glue, under exposure due to being covered with so much paper or some other issue, but it detracts from the visual impact of the smoke. The other thing I notice right away is the seams of the wrapper leaf, they are very prominent almost as if the cigar has not been rolled correctly. An inspection of the bunch and main body of the smoke do not show any areas of concern. The pre light aroma is of cocoa, currant and raisin. The pre light draw shows a spicy and earthy presentation.
The cigar opens with a profile that is neither complex or particularly complex. The core profile has some odd spice notes and some light pepper flavors, but there is a mineral flavor here as well and it is a touch harsh. At the back of the palate there are some wet wood notes and touch of loamy earth, but the levels of flavor are not very good and the wet wood notes impart bitterness. The draw is way too tight for me at this point and I can only hope that it will open up with some time. The burn is a little bit off, but I have no issues that require attention yet.
The first half of the cigar really shows no improvement. The core profile is still showing spice and pepper notes, but the metallic mineral flavor is still present and causing a distraction. The back of the palate is showing some wood flavors that have transitioned into a more dry presentation, but there is still bitterness here. The earthy notes have transitioned into a more vegetal presentation that is not pleasing. The draw maintains a tight disposition. The burn has gone south and I have to touch up twice before the midway point.
The final half of the cigar is really very poor. The mineral flavors take over the core profile and leave little other impressions for evaluation. The back of the palate really becomes a straight presentation of vegetal notes the seem to be gritty to me. The draw continues to perform poorly right to the end. The burn does even out, but it is too little too late after three re-lights.
The finish is short and full of metallic mineral flavors.
Appearance- 84 the band is too busy and the cigar itself has visual flaws
Taste- 79 a very poor performance
Construction- 74 a very poorly constructed cigar
Strength- 82 they say full, I say Balderdash!
Overall- 78.75 very poor
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