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I take my time lighting the foot, very much enjoying the smell of the smoke emanating from the glowing orange embers that are forming. Once I’m satisfied that the burn is good enough, I take a few puffs, let the cigar sit for a number of seconds, take a few more puffs and then a long, slow draw. There’s a mild spice on the back of the throat with the smoke itself quite mild as well. Delicious Ramon Allones flavors coat the palate, that of rich, dark, sweetened cocoa, cinnamon, wood, and worn leather. A lasting finish is left on the palate that is oh so good.
The burn wants to lean to one side, but only very slightly, and the dark gray ash forming looks quite rough, however holds strong until tapped off in the ashtray at about an inch or so. As I get further in, it seems the draw is getting tighter, and I have to puff a few times prior to taking a fairly hard draw on the cigar. Having to do this is unfortunately distorting the true flavor that I know is there, causing it to be a bit tannic, or metallic if you will.
The cigar is warmed up and somewhat spongy, so I massage it a bit over the length and then roll it between my index finger and thumb right above the band, hoping to loosen up the tobacco a bit. Sadly, it doesn’t help very much and the draw continues to be right on that edge of having just too much resistance. I go ahead and use my Palio to clip a small amount off the head, then try squeezing the cigar in a couple different spots while drawing to see if that helps, however it’s just not working.
I continue massaging and puffing, and upon reaching around the halfway point, I begin to get a good amount of smoke through the draw. Not just a good amount, but a perfect amount as the tannic, metallic taste completely disappears and is replace with what I knew was there. Incredibly rich and wonderfully delicious flavor! Dark, sweet cocoa, worn leather and roasted nuts come through with the spiciness changing from mild to almost a medium. I get a tingling in the nostrils as I let smoke escape through the nose.
Heading into the final third, the burn is sharp with a mottled gray ash forming. The smoke is now a good medium in strength, coating the palate perfectly with rich, delicious flavor and a lasting finish on the palate after exhaling. I smoke the cigar down until my fingers start to burn, thoroughly enjoying it to the very end. With the exception of the tight draw in the first third, this was one incredibly good cigar and very much appreciate having the opportunity to sample such a specimen.
