San Cristobal Elegancia - Cigar Review

The San Cristobal brand marks a collaboration twixt Pepin Garcia and Ashton Cigars (manufactured by Arturo Fuente). Kind of a big-deal tandem. This is kind of a dated cigar review, as this Elegancia was introduced way-back in 2011 at the IPCPR trade-show. I generally operate half-dozen years behind. Now that we're all caught up, lettuce forge ahead with a looksie...

NOTES:

Burns on a curve nigh canoe through the 1/3 then evens-out all on its lonesome. This at a rather quick-pace. Lots of smoke off each end both actively and passively-so. Some aeration and slight pin-point tunneling hither and thither in the burnt-offerings which don't come near an inch'a stacking.  Rolled well insofar as density and tight seams, but the draw is wide-open. Smooth top-leaf is fragile and band-removal leads to cosmetic-only tsuris. Gets a tick heated in the 3/3.

Minimal pepper-spice in a sour-led profile with underpinnings of a somewhat synthetic sweetness. Fairly+ acidic. Smoothly textured with a citric lilting sharper than merely clean. Lace-curtain body and sans richness. Not particularly balanced and/or complex. Finishes a bissell bitey-green harsh for such an other-wise mellow profile.

• Pepper, white & waxy yellow bell
• Cedar, green. Green stays, cedar leaves post-1/2
• Coffee, weak
• Butter, unsalted (falls off in second-half)
• Orange rind (lemon in second-half)
• Pine Nuts, in and out
• Tobacco, bright whilst dusty
• Oats, raw
• Hay
• Dirt, sunny

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Connecticut
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Mild-Medium
FORMAT: Toro "Imperial"
ORIGIN: Tabacalera Cubana S.A. "My Father" Esteli, Nicaragua

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

This sampling came courtesy of Cigars on 7th.
My personal haunt & Eugene OR's premier cigar shop.
Conveniently located on Lincoln.

"A Pooper-Scooper" Kaplowitz Radio: December 13, 2017