The name Debonaire evokes high society imagery replete with aristocrats and wealthy well dressed industrialists, at least in my mind it does. Expectations of a cigar bearing this name were naturally high for me, particularly with the Debonaire price of thirteen bones for a robusto. I mean thirteen dollars for a robusto? Who do these guys think we are anyway, Carnegie and Rockefeller? I also want to know what is Debonaire about a guy riding a horse drawn liquor cart? Why do I ask you may ask? Well I ponder this question because the depiction on the band is just that, a dude driving a horse drawn liquor cart. When I think of Debonaire this is perhaps the last image I can up with, except for maybe someone drinking out of a finger bowl...
The cigar itself is a nice looking smoke. The wrapper has a nice sheen to it, but it does not appear to have been processed in any way. There are some veins, but they don't seem like they will be a hindrance to the performance of the smoke. The bunch seems too loose to me, but the rest of the construction looks like it is acceptable. I am always nervous about loose bunches. The loose bunch can create a loose draw, poor combustion and heat all of which are the death knell in the cigar world. The pre light aroma has huge blasts of dark fruit and wood. The light draw shows some pepper and little nicotine tingle on the lips and tongue.
The cigar opens with a profile that has some very interesting flavors and it takes me some time to determine whether or not I like it or hate it. I end up on the like it side of things, but just because something is unique does not necessarily mean that it is good. The core profile here shows some rich dark fruit flavors and the texture of the smoke is thick and showing some very nice smoked meat and wood flavors as well. The back of the palate and the nose are showing nice coffee notes and some earthy tones as well. This is really a nice start to a cigar, but is not classic by any means. The draw is very loose, but this early on it is difficult to tell what will happen as the cigar progresses. The burn is a touch off and the ash is very flaky, but I don't see any real issues here for now.
The first half of the cigar loses some of the balance that was shown in the opening moments. The core profile continues to show some dark fruit flavors, but there is some citrus zest like Orange peel coming in here now as well. There are still some wood notes, but they are bordering on being bitter at this point. The back of the palate starts to show more loamy notes of earth as well and the coffee tones are sliding away as the cigar progresses. What is left is a profile that has some appeal in the front, but very little at the back of the palate or through the nose. The draw is still too loose at this point and some heat is starting to show up in the smoke, I start to slow it down a bit to keep it out of the flume. The burn has evened out and is performing nicely.
The final half of the cigar really continues a downward spiral. The core profile shows some pepper now, but the fruit notes are gone and there is some bitterness like a crushed aspirin coming through at this point. The disintegration of this cigar has been astonishing in it's completeness. The back of the palate still has some loamy earth qualities, but there is some dank sense of moisture here now as well, kind of like an old basement. The heat in the draw has been limited by my ability to slow the smoke down, but the draw is still too loose. The burn performed well through to the end.
The finish was musty and loamy.
Appearance- 89 a nice looking cigar
Taste- 82 some nice things happening early, but the cigar really circled the drain late
Construction- 81 the best I can give a cigar with such a loose draw
Strength- 85 a nice medium/full offering
Overall- 83.25 for thirteen bucks you should expect more...
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