BLEND: Jilguero
WRAPPER: San Andres
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan
FORMAT: Gordo (660)
ORIGIN: Mexico
INTENSITY: Medium/Medium-full
NOTES:
Spices (delicately) | Cedar | Mocha
An exceptionally harmonious cigar that gets extra points for also including some herbal/seasonings additions. Not an easy balancing act, but pulled off quite well. Nicely toasted notes of mocha and graham; a tick maltedly-so. Black walnut. Seasoned cedar bracing. Salty-smoky back-end. Umami builds upwards from the earthen underbelly. Pink peppercorn, and a bit of graphite. Seasoning and broth from a pilaf dish.
Transitions smoothly in an evolutionary manner; every step makes sense. Very clean but also has a lengthy crisp earthen finish. Doesn't just fall-off. Ticks all the boxes in a sneakily complex manner because it never tries hard to be so. A solid and self-possessed blend. Threatens at times to dry the palate a bit but never for too long or ever fully does. Also never gets boring, which is a main challenge in this format.
Draws a slight-bit hollow on a fairly rare occasion. Burns evenly as to line and pacing. A mid-point retouch is needed. Smoke out-put is a bit left of center but that's somehow in keeping with the experience. The aroma is more subtle than expected but pleasantly pilaf with a trailing sweetness. An uncluttered room-note. Ash grows nicely enough. A thoughtful and thought-provoking smoke.
TASTE: A-
DRAW: B+
BURN: B+
BUILD: A-
FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79
::: very :::