La Barba Red
WRAPPER: Dominican Corojo
BINDER: Dominican Corojo
FILLER: Dominican Habano/Corojo (50% ligero)
STRENGTH: Medium-Full
PROFILE: Sweet/Spice
FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera William Ventura)
Savory af throughout. Overtones are thick and bright like I don't like my wiminz. Sweetly spiced and toasted then roasted like I do like my wiminz. Undertones are bitter-sweet roasted goodnesses and a bit more darkly-so. A sour tick swirls through the profile and seems an ebbing & flowing part of the spiciness. Balanced impeccably, albeit free of any salted note. Complex like the day is long but never in a clamor -- well orchestrated and attainable. Tremendous depth of notes breed quite the nuanced experience.
- Spice (nutmeg, clove, paprika)
- Pepper (white & red)
- Chocolate (milk, dark & semi-sweet)
- Vanilla extract
- Nougat
- Wood (cedar)
- Syrup
- Olive oil (sweet oil)
- Port wine
- Citrus (orange pith)
- Leathery oils
- Grains (pancake mix)
- Floral (hibiscus)
- Earth (red clay)
Combustion feels quick but I didn't watch a watch as I do not own one, and I was sucking greedily. The line is even and grows an inch of ash easily. (Does require a light mid-way re-touch.) Them burnt-offerings are maybe on the dry side of moderate. Lots of smoke and a floral type of room-note grows there alongside sweet spices. Excellent smooth even draw off cool temp'd medium tension'd tugs. Tight seams, evenly hewn and sans hard/soft spots and/or softening of pack density via progression.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This La Barba Red is my crack, Gentlepersons.
FINAL GRADE: A
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59
"La Barba Red is the original cigar release by the the [sic] company and has been
recently reblended. Blended by WSET certified Sommelier Tony Bellatto, and distributed through Caldwell Cigar Co. ... Used to be made at Eiroa in Honduras. Now made at Ventura, same blend as original." - www.CaldwellCigars.com
A nice thought from www.LaBarbaCigars.com: "A Cigar Is A living, breathing moment, the result of more than two hundred hand-made decisions, and thousands of hours spent crafting and blending. A cigar is a tradition, a mark for the senses to hold onto. A cigar is the search for something unique that can be shared. Every cigar we make begins with a memory, something complex and potent in our minds, and the final product is only achieved, when we feel the cigar can match that, beginning to end."
recently reblended. Blended by WSET certified Sommelier Tony Bellatto, and distributed through Caldwell Cigar Co. ... Used to be made at Eiroa in Honduras. Now made at Ventura, same blend as original." - www.CaldwellCigars.com
A nice thought from www.LaBarbaCigars.com: "A Cigar Is A living, breathing moment, the result of more than two hundred hand-made decisions, and thousands of hours spent crafting and blending. A cigar is a tradition, a mark for the senses to hold onto. A cigar is the search for something unique that can be shared. Every cigar we make begins with a memory, something complex and potent in our minds, and the final product is only achieved, when we feel the cigar can match that, beginning to end."