Marco-Polo
Go Irish Go!
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2008
- Messages
- 724
Cigar: Don Pepin Garcia, Blue Label
Size: Generoso (Toro), 6x50
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Executive Summary: Construction issues bring down a complex, flavorful cigar. 8/10
Appearance: Smooth, nice looking cigar. The wrapper is clearly sungrown, being a milk-chocolate shade (or, as you might say, a chocolate labrador shade - that dark). The cigar is very well packed and punched readily and cleanly. The texture of the wrapper is very uniform, so much that it's hard to see the roll itself, and there are no apparent veins. One issue becomes apparent and important later - the fill is not uniform, and goes from firm at the foot to very firm at the head. The blue wrapper is unremarkable. However, as appearance goes, this is definitely in the top quintile. 8.5/10
Flavor: Flavor is where this cigar excels. Dominant flavors are roasted - black coffee and bitter chocolate - and woody/spicy, somewhat like sandalwood. They evolve throughout, becoming less spicy in the middle, then a little peppery and increasingly cedary and earthy in the back third. Top note is somewhat like vanilla, consistent with the sandalwood spicy note.
I've seen this cigar compared to a cuban ERDM, and I agree in terms of complexity; however, it lacks the prominent top notes of an ERDM and the brightness and organic smell of cuban tobacco.
The flavor starts medium/full, but smooths down to a solid medium through the middle third, then ramps up again. There's some astringency in the smoke, a little acridness that lodges at the back of the throat, but not overly so and it fades as the smoke smooths out. But I complain too much. I'd want to smoke this cigar again, especially if I knew the construction issues were being resolved. 9/10.
Construction: This is driving me crazy. Straight-across, self-correcting burn. The draw is very tight. Not plugged, but like sucking a milkshake through a straw. Required 2 relights in the first half alone, no doubt related to my slow pace of smoking and the low quantity of air going through the stick. The ash is salt-and-pepper, mostly light, very firm and tenacious; I really only ashed when I had to relight, which is not so good given that I had to relight frequently! Stopped with a full 1.5 inches left out of frustration. 7/10
Size: Generoso (Toro), 6x50
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Executive Summary: Construction issues bring down a complex, flavorful cigar. 8/10
Appearance: Smooth, nice looking cigar. The wrapper is clearly sungrown, being a milk-chocolate shade (or, as you might say, a chocolate labrador shade - that dark). The cigar is very well packed and punched readily and cleanly. The texture of the wrapper is very uniform, so much that it's hard to see the roll itself, and there are no apparent veins. One issue becomes apparent and important later - the fill is not uniform, and goes from firm at the foot to very firm at the head. The blue wrapper is unremarkable. However, as appearance goes, this is definitely in the top quintile. 8.5/10
Flavor: Flavor is where this cigar excels. Dominant flavors are roasted - black coffee and bitter chocolate - and woody/spicy, somewhat like sandalwood. They evolve throughout, becoming less spicy in the middle, then a little peppery and increasingly cedary and earthy in the back third. Top note is somewhat like vanilla, consistent with the sandalwood spicy note.
I've seen this cigar compared to a cuban ERDM, and I agree in terms of complexity; however, it lacks the prominent top notes of an ERDM and the brightness and organic smell of cuban tobacco.
The flavor starts medium/full, but smooths down to a solid medium through the middle third, then ramps up again. There's some astringency in the smoke, a little acridness that lodges at the back of the throat, but not overly so and it fades as the smoke smooths out. But I complain too much. I'd want to smoke this cigar again, especially if I knew the construction issues were being resolved. 9/10.
Construction: This is driving me crazy. Straight-across, self-correcting burn. The draw is very tight. Not plugged, but like sucking a milkshake through a straw. Required 2 relights in the first half alone, no doubt related to my slow pace of smoking and the low quantity of air going through the stick. The ash is salt-and-pepper, mostly light, very firm and tenacious; I really only ashed when I had to relight, which is not so good given that I had to relight frequently! Stopped with a full 1.5 inches left out of frustration. 7/10
