I know what you are all thinking, WTF is a Zengotita! I am with you I knew nothing about this cigar when they were given to me by a proprietor at a local B&M. I of course accepted them, he respects my opinion and I his, it just seemed like the right thing to do. I asked him about them and he just shrugged his shoulders which indicated he knew about as much as I did at the time. Never fear though, I went to the Googleplex and let my fingers do the finding. You will not believe the sheer treasure trove of information that I found these. They are made somewhere in Tampa, and that is all I could find. Are you as shocked as I am about this incredible knowledge? They don't even have a website, all though they do have a domain reserved. The long and the short of it is, I can't tell you a damn thing about this cigar, other than it is a cigar that is made in Tampa....allegedly... I have no idea what the wrapper is, though it looks like a Habano. I don't know what's in the blend. Hell, I don't even know what country the tobaccos come from. In short this is really a blind tasting.
The cigar itself is wonderful to behold. It appears to very well made, I can't find a single issue with it as I inspect it. The wrapper is positively glistening, I am quite sure if it were any shinier I would be able to see my reflection in it. There are very few veins, and those that are there add character to the cigar for a nice visual impression. Even the band is stately and elegant. I just wish I knew more about the cigar. The pre light aroma is something odd, with some strange pot pourri odor and sharp wood notes. The pre light draw shows some pepper and a fragrant perfume character that is off putting.
The cigar opens with a profile that is pleasant, but not overwhelmingly complex or deep. The core flavors show some soft wood notes and slight clove like spices, there is also a sweetness here that I would equate to fig. The back of the palate and the nose show some medium tobacco notes with some dry hints of wheat flour. The overall impression at this point is so so, and the dry notes in the back of the palate and nose are taking away from the experience. The burn is solid and sharp. The draw is fluid, but a touch too tight for me.
The first half of the cigar is trying to hold on to whatever positives there were in the opening moments, but it is struggling to do so. The core profile is still showing some wood and light spice, but there are some bitter ideas coming through here now and they are not helping the cause. The back of the palate is showing some pepper, but there are some tones of scorched wood and vegetation here as well and the experience is deteriorating rapidly. The burn is still nice and a fine ash forms. The draw is actually tightening as the smoke progresses and I am becoming concerned about heat later in the smoke.
The final half of the cigar is a real descent into cigar hell. The core profile becomes overwhelmingly bitter and sour, a combination of what crushed aspirin tastes like and what a mildewed towel smells like. It goes without saying, this is not something one would be looking for in a cigar. The back of the palate is similarly bile churning. The flavors here are of wet wood smoldering and wet vegetation. The burn is still performing well, and in the end this is really the only redeeming quality in the smoke. The draw is still too tight and heat enters the smoke in the final third which forced me to slow the smoke down and only served to prolong the agony.
The finish was bitter and short.
Appearance- 89 I liked the way this looked
Taste- 78 some points for the early effort, a loss of points for the rest of the smoke
Construction- 80 some marks for burn, but draw is more important to me
Strength- 85 a medium/full that really didn't matter in the end
Overall- 81.75 run from this if you see one
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