For those of you not in the know, Ortega is one half of the now defunct Espinosa and Ortega, the guys that brought you 601, Cubao and some others. This Wild Bunch line is part of the small batch fad sweeping the cigar nation in recent months and every so often he has released a new Wild Bunch blend, most of which have some crazy name attached; Tony the Boss, Big bad John, Iron Mike etc... They kind of remind me of my days in Chicago and the gangster operations that had great names. Tony "The Nose", Jimmy "Bananas", Freddy "The Eye", Herman "The Gimp", you know good solid gangster names. Naming a line of cigars in this tradition, intentional or not, is fun and clever.
The cigar itself is interesting, the band work is futuristic, kind of Iron Man movie looking artwork that is cool and something you wouldn't expect in the cigar world. The cigar has some prominent veins, but I can't find any areas that may be of concern at all. The wrapper is dark and rich looking, this is a natural oscuro though, no extra oils or dies were added here to make something look like something it is not and I always applaud this kind of thing in the industry. The pre light aroma is heavy and contains some strong earthy tones. The pre light draw has some spice that is a little sour, but also shows a nice earthy flavor that could really be something once flame hits leaf.
The cigar opens with a profile that is a touch flat for me. There are some earthy tones in the open that are interesting, but they never really develop into anything. There are also some spice notes in the opening moments, but they have some sour undertones that are not appealing. The back of the palate has some dark wood flavors, but there are some mineral notes here that border on being metallic and they are putting me off the experience at this point. The draw is very smooth early, but as it opens up I worry that it may become too loose at some point and bring heat into the cigar. The burn is sharp, but the ash is a touch flaky early on.
The first half of the cigar really does not improve much. The core profile does not develop and stays flat and one dimensional. The earthy notes are hanging on, but they never show any depth or complexity. The sour spice notes continue to kick up as the cigar develops and I am reminded of very unpleasant experiences, like eating alum. The back of the palate and through the nose still show some dark wood flavors, but the metallic hints are still here and there is a drying quality to the smoke that is a turn off. The draw has settled in nicely and I am no longer worried about it becoming too loose. The burn stays solid to this point.
The final half of the cigar finally develops into something worth mentioning. The core profile begins to show some nice pepper flavors and the earthy notes really develop into a nice backdrop for the pepper to rest against. There is now some complexity and depth showing through and the balance of the flavors is very nice. The back of the palate is still showing nice dark wood flavors, but there are also some brushes of coffee showing here as well. All in all a nice finish. The draw and burn perform well to the end.
The finish was a touch short and had some metallic notes amongst wood and earth tones.
Appearance- 89 nice to look at
Taste- 83 some points came on late, but it was too little
Construction- 88 acceptable, but the draw was too loose for me
Strength- 86 billed as full, but really more medium for me
Overall- 86.25 slightly above average, but nothing to get excited about
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