WRAPPER: US Connecticut Broadleaf
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan
FORMAT: Churchill (750) trunk-pressed
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium-full
NOTES:
Dark chocolate | Black pepper | Charcoal earthiness
Smooth and powerful with just the right bit of edge on its back-end. Dark chocolate remains supple and maturely sweet. Black pepper stays in control while testing its boundaries in a purposeful fashion. Shows some licorice as it does. Earthiness is rich and full weighty with a charcoal influence that at times exhibits just a half-tick of alkaline ashiness. Structured rigidly via mesquite wood framing.
Consistent as all get-out and balanced quite well. While at most moderately complex, there are excellent nuances and depth with vibes of dark fruit and grain. A transition in the 2/3's onset pours a shot of espresso into the upper-middlings mix, and carries a tick of brown sugar all its own. Long, bitter-sweet finish. A nightcap offering begging a nip of bourbon. Or a thing for a ballsy morning over a cup of Cuban coffee.
Fairly care-free performance requiring zero retouches. Trunk-press holds tight, as do seams. Draws smooth and even. Burn-line is a half-bit of a self-correcting wave, ash grows all the live-long. Lots of smoke out-put with a further touch of ashiness on its pungent aroma. Room-note is deep and leathery. A slight ding is that the cap loses some integrity but that doesn't affect more than cosmetics.
TASTE: B+
DRAW: A-
BURN: A-
BUILD: B+
FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79
::: very :::