BLEND: Riviera
WRAPPER: Mexican San Andres
BINDER: Honduran Connecticut
FILLER: Honduran, Nicaraguan
FORMAT: Robusto (552) Box-press
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium-full
NOTES:
Espresso | Black pepper | Cherry cola
Leathery-earthen core; a sweaty-sweet umami. Salted dark chocolate pips get churned out from that core, out toward the orbiting primary notes. A fruity espresso? A light-on-the-sugar cherry cola? Yup. Also a creamy liaison between core and prominent notes. 'Creamy Liaison' would not be a good pick for a family movie night. A stewed prune and some toastiness attach to that cream. Black pepper structures, delineates, each admirably-so.
Nicely balanced profile delivered via consistency-over-complexity. Nuanced subtly in its rather bold depths, not jarringly transitional. I really appreciate this smoke. Weighty and sating but not cloying nor cumbersome. A gripe is that a couple-few re-touches are mandated to right the burn-line. Grows ash all the live-long. Draws smoothly, evenly. Press does round a tick by char; rest of assemblage holds fast. Heavy smoke out-put is of a meaty-sweet aroma--steak dinner and dessert waft about.
TASTE: A-
DRAW: A-
BURN: B
BUILD: B+
FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79
::: very :::