Vital Stats:
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 4.87″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Nicaragua and Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A.
Blender: E.P. Carillo
Number of reviewers: 5 —– Sandeep (Djangos) Dave (mdwest) Brian (B-daddy) Ron (shuckins) Robert (NavyPiper)
Price: $6.75
Age: 2 Months Rest
Release Date: 2013
Contributed by: Calypso Cigar Review
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 91
“A slightly mottled wrapper, medium brown in color with almost no sheen present. The cigar has minimal tooth, a well applied cap and is firm/well packed with no soft spots present.” –Dave (mdwest)
Aroma: 92
“Very nice aroma of sweet cedar, with leather and light nutmeg.” –Ron (shuckins)
First Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The first third starts off mild with mild hay and grass that builds almost immediately into a sweet nuttiness. The major flavor is that of almonds and some hazelnuts thrown in as well. There is not much pepper in this third at all but there are other sweet mixed spices that are present and most appreciated during the exhale. A distant leather is also appreciated. The smoke is thick and billowing and creamy in nature. The burn is almost perfect. The ash is almost white and is flaky. It held for less than a half-inch before falling off.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
“A very noticeable “pepper blast” on the first few puffs. This starts to subside within the first third however and the cigar mellows fairly quickly. Notes of nuts, leather and hay throughout.” –Dave (mdwest)
Second Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Once again the predominant flavor is that of nuts, but as we progress into this third the leather is becoming more prominent as well. The espresso and coffee that was present in the dry puff are more evident now. Not much pepper can still be appreciated. The warm spices are dying out now being replaced with a more woody flavor on exhale. Still mild to medium but not disappointing. The smoke is still very creamy and voluminous. The burn is even and the ash still white and flaky. Mostly one-dimensional but very pleasant and easy to smoke.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
“Creamy cedar with light coffee flavor up front, followed closely by a nicely blended taste of anise, allspice and a touch of leather. The flavors are very pleasing to my palate and I like the direction the cigar is headed.” –Ron (shuckins)
Final Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Not a whole lot of changes from the second third to the final third. The pepper flavors are almost completely gone at this point, but the leather and nuts remain. Hay has made its way back into the smoke in the final third. The smoke continues to get more and more creamy as we make our way to the nub.” –Dave (mdwest)
“In the final third, it was pretty much all spice and pepper, which I would rate a little better than ‘good’ but not quite ‘very good’. Smoke output finally kicked up nicely, but started to get real hot towards the end.” –Robert (NavyPiper)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 94
“Just a hair tighter than I like but absolutely no complaints. Draw was great throughout.” –Brian (B-daddy)
Burn: 93
“Not razor-sharp ,but a problem free burn throughout the entire cigar.” –Ron (shuckins)
Construction: 93
“This was a well constructed cigar. It performed extremely well. It was well packed, rolled nicely and overall performance was excellent.” –Dave (mdwest)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Overall Experience: 92
“This was a great mild to medium smoke that was easy and very pleasant to smoke. The one-dimensional nutty character was welcome rather than a distraction for me. Overall, a very good smoke and will definitely smoke again.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
“I would be in for a box purchase of these cigars. It was a nice medium body and medium strength stick with a very pleasant flavor profile. The cigar performed well. A great overall smoking experience.” –Dave (mdwest)
“I like the size, look, construction, draw and overall performance of this cigar very much but the flavor profile was about as far from my liking as it could be. Bitterness, dryness and chemical flavors made this cigar one that I would not buy, would not recommend and would not smoke again. I’m curious as whether or not I just got a bad one but not curious enough to smoke another. I just don’t want to taste those flavors again.” –Brian (B-daddy)
“I enjoyed this cigar, and would definitely recommend it to my friends, but not until I have picked up a few more…lol” –Ron (shuckins)
“Overall, this was a pretty good smoke. Had some interesting flavors – love the white pepper, and they seemed to go well together, and was fairly consistent the whole way through. The only downside was the burn for half the time being squirrely and that it got pretty dang hot at the end. Other than that, it was a pleasurable smoke and one I’d enjoy again.” –Robert (NavyPiper)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 65
Total Score: 92 (Excellent)
| Reviewer | Appea-rance | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandeep | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 100 | 100 | 95 | 95 |
| Dave | 90 | 92 | 90 | 92 | 92 | 93 | 93 | 93 | 92 |
| Brian | 90 | 90 | 83 | 75 | 70 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 75 |
| Ron | 92 | 92 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 95 | 90 | 90 | 92 |
| Robert | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 83 | 88 | 88 |
| Overall | 91 | 92 | 89 | 91 | 91 | 94 | 93 | 93 | 92 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.