WRAPPER: Nicaraguan
BINDER: Nicaragua
FILLER: Nicaragua
FORMAT: 554 Belicoso
ORIGIN: Tabaclera Oliva, Nicaragua
INTENSITY:
NOTE: Chocolate
It all begins on the earthen-heavy cold draw. A pip of dark chocolate in the tobacco-stalk addition there. Then, upon lighting and immediately-so, our note marries with baking spices. Then mulling spices. A calm yet assertive spiciness that never does overwhelm either the chocolate or me. Nice. A not quite touching but influencing leather adds some savory depth to the shortly silky note.
Now in the second-third, a black walnut attachment to the chocolate serves to tighten it up a tick, to add a bit of a lovely waxy boundary. Our note seems to move away from the spices at that point, or perhaps they simply dial back a bit. It returns more toward its initial spot nearer to the earthiness. Said earthiness has picked up a distinct anise vibe. The profile gets quite rich and evolves deep depths of nuance.
As the final-third approaches a roasted orange thing gets added and bee-lines to the chocolate we've been tracking. Leather begins sweating oils into it. The coffee and cedar, present all along, begin to be finally seen from the perspective of our note, but continue to be of no impact upon it. On the far-end, it does, however, pick up a weighty tropical floral tail. And that's is it to the nub.
TASTE: A-
DRAW: A-
BURN: A
BUILD: A
FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79
::: very :::