I have reviewed the other San Lotano blends and I held the Connecticut back for a couple of reasons. First, I did not hear great things about this cigar, which was very surprising considering how much positive buzz there was about the Oval and the Habano blends. When I hear bad things I sometimes hesitate and hold a review until some of the negatives have died out and I can take a fair look at the cigar. The second reason, and really the more important one, is that Connecticut blends are usually not my favorites. If you look back over the history of this blog, Connecticut cigars have really not done well in my tastings (with the exception of Oliva and Pedro Martin).
This cigar presents nicely. The wrapper is silky smooth and has some light dusty characteristics in the texture that make me think of velvet. There are very few veins here, and I am liking what I am seeing so far. An inspection of the cigar reveals no areas of concern, as the bunch and roll seem to be very well done to me. The pre light aroma is bready and it has a nice sweet hint of cedar. The pre light draw has some light white pepper tones, but does not show much else.
The cigar opens with a profile that has more depth and complexity than I expected. The core profile has some wonderful hints of bread, cinnamon, vanilla and cedar. The overall impressions of this mix of flavors is very favorable and I am very happy with the profile dynamics that are being shown so early. At the back of the palate there is only one flavor, white pepper, and I don't feel like it has enough glue to hold this profile together for long but for right now it is ok. The draw is a little too tight for me early on, but it is not causing any performance issues at this point. The burn is solid at this point and a sturdy ash is forming.
The first half of the cigar shows some flavor retreating and I find myself disappointed by this development. The core profile is really showing some hard cedar flavors at this point and there is a strange sweet spice that takes some reflection to place, but I finally decide it is like a hard cider. At the back of the palate some pepper flavors continue, but there is a papery finish to the smoke here and it takes away from the experience. The draw is loosening some, but I still feel like it is too tight for my tastes, there is just the slightest bit of labor involved. The burn is right on the money and I don't anticipate any issues.
The final half of the cigar continues to slide downward in my view. The profile becomes more cedary still and that flavor becomes sharp and somewhat bitter. The cider essence has gone away at this point and that makes the sharp cedar flavors all the more in your face at this point. The back of the palate is still showing some light wisps of pepper, but the papery flavors are still present at this point. The draw is still too tight to the end of the smoke, but the burn was solid throughout.
The finish was papery, but had a strong cedar flavor as well.
Appearance- 91 a very nice looking smoke
Taste- 86 some very nice early flavors, but the last half took away some valuable points
Construction- 87 the draw was too tight, but the burn was exceptional
Strength- 88 a very nice mild/medium that could have used more pop
Overall- 87.5 slightly above average, could have been excellent with less flavor loss late in the smoke
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