Another cigar from IPCPR and this is the one I was probably most excited about. Made in the My Father factory, as it is known I like that provenance, this cigar is named La Duena which translates into female owner in English for Janny Garcia the female boss of My Father. This cigar is actually blended by Pete Johnson and my interest was piqued because he has said this was supposed to be like La Riqueza, one of my favorite Tatuaje blends, with more strength. I was also somewhat concerned because I have not liked Dude A's (see previous review of Pete Johnson blends for discussion of Dude A and Dude B) blends in the past. See, Pete had many winners when Don Pepin was doing all the blending, but when Pete went out on his own he lost some of the secret sauce in my opinion. Anyway, all these particulars aside I was still anticipating this cigar.
The cigar itself presents very simply. The band work is red with a white silhouette of a woman's head on it, it kind of reminds me of an antique broach that an old woman would wear on a bad sweater. The wrapper is toothy and seems a bit too dry to me, but it has few veins and very nice dark coloration. An inspection leads me to believe that the construction is superb, a hallmark of this particular factory as I seldom have issues with any cigar from there. The pre light aroma is strong and smacks of rich coffee. The pre light draw has some dark wood essences and tons of earthy flavors.
The cigar opens with a profile that is a little bit short for me. The core flavors are of over brewed coffee and some very loamy earth notes are present here as well. The overall impression is a profile that is unfinished and not very balanced or complex. At the back of the palate there are some serious notes of heavy minerals and I have never been a huge fan of this particular attribute in a cigar. The draw is a little bit too loose for me, but I will persevere as always. The burn is razor sharp and a nice ash is forming.
The first half of the cigar shows no real improvement. The core profile is still too overwrought with over brewed coffee flavors and there is no real nuance to the profile as the earthy flavors that should be giving the smoke balance are not doing the job for me. The back of the palate continues to be assaulted with mineral flavors and I feel as though I am sucking on a handful of nickels. The draw is ever looser as the cigar progresses and I slow the progress to keep the heat out of the smoke. The burn is still very sharp.
The final half of the cigar continues my hand in hand walk with disappointment. The core profile never develops into anything meaningful as the flavors linger on and on in an unimpressive way like a dinner guest that won't leave. Over brewed coffee and loamy earth notes just can't stand alone throughout a cigar and some balancing efforts are sorely needed. The back of the palate continues to show blasts of mineral weirdness and the whole experience is really not good.
The finish was short and full of mineral after taste.
This is not what I was hoping for. Can I get another Don Pepin blend please!!
Appearance- 86 very simple, but above average
Taste- 77 it just was not good
Construction- 82 the draw was too loose for me
Strength- 83 aiming for full but it was the high side of medium at best and the mineral flavors made divining any strength characteristics difficult
Overall- 81.25 this is not something I would revisit
No comments:
Post a Comment