BLEND: Limited Edition
WRAPPER: Mexican San Andres
BINDER: Ecuadorian Sumatra
FILLER: USA Broadleaf (CT & PA), Nicaraguan
FORMAT: 5.5x50 Figurado
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
INTENSITY: Medium-full
SPICE: 3.5/5
NOTES:
Espresso | Almonds | Pumpernickel
Immediately piquant-pungent. Sharply discordant. Pepper-spice steers, doesn't readily show an actual note. Underneath, burnt almonds and dry pumpernickel try and try to break through. Settles as the second-third begins. I once took a sip of a lavender mocha; there's a trace of that in the nethers.
Post-settling, all notes remain the same. While the onslaught of the onset does dial back--balance isn't ever achieved. Sorta flattens-out in a serrated manner. Palate fatigue? Stiff leather. Black pepper. Dried compost. Tough to pull apart. For all this, it does finish cleanly on quite short legs.
Burn-line lags on one side and needs some help. Fast burn. A Tracy Chapman tune plays in my head. Ash builds well. Draws a tick-hollow a few times. Assemblage stays true. Big smoke out-put yields a subtly pleasant aroma in peaceful resistance of other more raucous behaviors.
TASTE: B-
DRAW: B
BURN: B
BUILD: B+
FINAL GRADE: B-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79
::: very :::