I'm going to start this all off by saying that I hate big ring gauge cigars. I think they are the death knell for everything that I love in the cigar industry. Delicacy, craftsmanship, subtle blends and cigars with more wrapper tastes than filler and binder all go by the wayside in the big ring is king movement. I realize that makers only respond to consumer demands, but somewhere along the way makers need to say enough already! We have pushed the size envelope as far as we are willing to push it and we will go no further! I am, of course, dreaming and I realize this will never happen, but a guy can hope can't he? My dream is a cigar utopia of sorts, every one smokes, there are no draconian smoking laws and nothing more than a 50 ring gauge is offered. I would smoke coronas all day and sit idly by whilst I watched every one else smoke cheerfully while walking in the park, or having a drink in a bar, or while eating dinner. I must really be insane...
This cigar is new from the Carrillo family and if there is anyone, that in a snapshot of time, could change my opinion about big ring gauge cigars it would be the Carrillo's, I just love their stuff. This cigar is of course huge, but it does not seem as huge as some other 60's I have seen and I'm not sure why that is. The wrapper is a fine looking, leathery textured beauty that has a nice sheen and very few veins. The band work is large, but it is interesting in that is bears the markings of a ruler on it, obviously playing up to the inch moniker. The construction seems to be well done, but it is always difficult to find issues in a cigar of this thickness. The pre light aroma has some nice coffee, spice and earth tones. The pre light draw shows nice pepper and earth flavors.
The cigar opens with a profile that is full and contains tons of flavor and power. The core profile is all pepper and dark wood with some coffee undertones. This will slap you around a little bit in the early stages and I like that in a cigar sometimes. Don't be afraid to show us who's boss, and this cigar does not show a hint of shyness. It's not giving you an inch, it's giving you the whole foot...(easy pervs, we are talking about cigars here). The back of the palate has a wonderful earthy quality and shows some light chocolate features as well. The through the nose experience also has a high quality earth tone as well. The burn is sharp and moving along nicely. The draw is actually a touch too loose for me, but so far there is no heat coming through so I am not too worried yet.
The first half of the cigar continues to impress me. The core profile becomes something more nuanced in terms of flavors, but the power still remains. The main flavors here are now pepper and anise and I detect some slight hints of raisin here as well. This is an exceptional profile thus far and I am really enjoying it. The back of the palate continues to chug right along delivering earth and chocolate notes that are very solid. The draw is still too loose and there is some heat coming up the flume, but I am still not worried because it will be manageable with the proper smoking technique. The burn is still on the money and a nice solid ash forms.
The final half of the cigar really brings it home for me. The core profile picks up some very nice dried fruit flavors and still shows some raisins, dark wood, anise and slight hints of mint. At the back of the palate very nice earthy flavors are providing a very solid platform for the entire smoke and there are still some nice chocolate flavors here as well. The draw stays too loose and I have to manage the cigar very carefully so I don't get charred flavors, some points will be lost here. The burn is very solid all the way through.
The finish was long and had noted of earth, wood and dried fruit
Appearance- 89 the highest I will go for a large cigar these days
Taste- 94 a wonderful flavor experience
Construction- 87 some looseness in the draw hurts this score
Strength- 97 an excellent cigar in this category, it slaps you around but does not break your nose
Overall- 91.25 a very, very good cigar and another winner from the Carrillo's
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