The Chupacabra is a myth, a legend if you will that comes from South American folklore. The story goes that if kids don't eat their dinner, or misbehave in other ways, they will be eaten by the Chupacabra in their sleep. I like this form of child rearing, put the fear of the devil in em I say!
Anyway there is another story behind this particular cigar. Some time ago a friend of mine asked me to be part of a radio show. He had a penchant for running his mouth a little bit and I was supposed to bring a serious tone to the show. Little did anyone know, except for me, my mouth is just as large and likes to run more than most. He and I had a successful run with the show and we had fun each week taking on the cigar industry, the good and bad, with guns blazing. Alas, the time ended when he accepted a job with Esteban Carreras cigars. You should see him now! He's so corporate, with a nameplate and new haircut and glasses and a briefcase that doesn't even have a nudie mag or bottle of booze in it! I'm proud of him and he is living his dream one day at a time, we should all be so lucky. Yesterday, in the ultimate act of courage (or blind stupidity) he gave me the new cigar from the line and asked me to smoke it. This is a bold and brazen move given my history with this blog, he knows that if I think it is crap I will say so, this was a risk that only the most confident (or idiotic) of cigar people would make. Think he is ready for the review?
The cigar presents nicely, all though it has some gimmickry with an unfinished foot and a pigtail cap. I usually don't care for this kind of thing and the unfinished foot really concerns me because I have had issues lighting them in the past. However, in this case it seems appropriate for a cigar with a name as rakish as Chupacabra it should be unfinished and rough, after all it will eat you if you misbehave. The wrapper is absolute gold, so leathery and oily, it is also well applied and has few veins with a hue of well tanned cowhide. Visually it is everything you could want in a smoke, even the band is understated but elegant. The pre light aroma is floral and full of light wood notes. The pre light draw has hints of balsa wood and oatmeal.
The cigar opens with a profile that has really nice flavors, the depth is not really there as some of the flavors are a touch thin, but the overall impression is very nice. The core profile has notes of balsa wood, light oatmeal and wheat flavors and some crisp tobacco notes. The back of the palate and through the nose show nice light pepper and spice. This is medium, which is unexpected considering the name seems so evil. The draw is a little tight initially, but I chalk that up to the closed foot. The burn is right on the money and performing well.
The first half of the cigar settles into a very nice medium presentation. The core profile continues to show some balsa wood notes but there are some elements of oatmeal here as well. My only complaint is a finish that is a touch papery at this point, but it is not distracting or detrimental yet. The back of the palate continues to show some nice spice and pepper flavors but I would like a bit more punch here from either of them, it is just a little bit flat. The draw has opened up nicely and delivers a nice amount of smoke with little effort. The burn continues to impress holding a razor edge and moving nicely.
The final half of the cigar continues a nice medium pace. The core profile starts to show some more depth as the flavors transition into a more robust show of light coffee, darker wood and some spice. This is what I look for in a cigar, a nice performance in the back half always makes me so happy. The back of the palate picks up the pepper quotient nicely and results in a nice underlay to the core profile. The draw remains very solid all the way to the end and the burn performs well throughout.
The finish was smooth and full of light wood notes, there was a touch of paper here as well but it was negligible.
Appearance- 91 a nice looking cigar with some fun circuses
Taste- 89 a very solid profile that could have used more punch in some areas
Construction- 90 some early tightness in the draw, but it performed very well
Strength- 93 a very nice medium
Overall- 90.25 if every cigar I smoke this year is this good I will be a happy Czar
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