Just before the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, Espinosa Cigars announced they had been working with AJ Fernandez to refine and repackage the blend of the EspinosaMurcielago. As the Trade Show opened, Espinosa debuted the new packaging for the EspinosaMurcielago. Previous versions of the blend had red and black bands that now have a new black and silver holographic band. The red and black boxes are now a natural-colored box. Today we are reviewing the Espinosa | MurcielagoRobusto.
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.
The blend still uses a Mexican San Andres wrapper on Nicaraguan binder and filler. It is being launched in two box-pressed sizes (Robusto and Toro) and one rounded size (Rabito). The cigars are packaged in 20-count boxes.
“5×52 double cap very dark wrapper but not oily or toothy to speak of. Very wonderfully wrapped box/ factory pressed. Does have a little give in the bunch but not spongy.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Aroma: 92
“Big noisy chocolate notes with a fermented background. ” –John I. (John I.)
“Immediately coats the palette in a big big, peppery way. Gets down deep in the throat and up in the nose right off the bat. All right then, lets dance. Ten minutes in the full frontal assault has eased but the flavor profile remains pretty in your face. nice big flavors of pepper, coffee, and dark roasted wood. Smoke production is pretty significant, and so far the construction is really solid. At the thirty minute mark, and nearing the end of the initial third, there is a hint of sweetness creeping in on the finish, and the flavors are smoothing and softening to reveal some supple leathery notes. ” –John I. (John I.)
“Starts off with some spice, earth and Cocoa. Draw and burn are very good 1.25 in. Thick dense smoke output. Wonderful room note. No sweetness at all mostly earth and Cocoa maybe some coffee.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“The middle third still has that nice sweetness, but gets a kick of strength, and some stronger spice notes. The retrohale is lots of black pepper. Aromas still have some of the spice components and nice aged tobacco richness.” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
“Flavor and strength remain the same in the second third with no noticeable change to the profile. The harshness experienced in the first third is completely gone now though and the cigar had become pretty smooth and easy to enjoy. ” –Dave W. (mdwest)
“The nutty notes that were in the background during the first and second thirds are now gone and only a earthy type flavor remains. With each puff this cigar has continued to smooth out. By the end it provided silky smoke completely devoid of any edge at all. ” –Dave W. (mdwest)
“The final third is like the completion of a journey. Very nice flavors that transition nicely. I get notes of charred wood and leather. The finish rounds off with roasted nuts and a sour note that reminds me of cognac. ” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 93
“A simply excellent draw. Just the right amount of resistance. ” –Dave W. (mdwest)
Burn: 89
“Overall, the burn was good. Although the ash was somewhat flaky, the burn line was thin and straight. ” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
Construction: 91
“The cigar had a really nice appearance and burned well. No relights were required, so I would call this one well built. ” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
“This was a very enjoyable smoke. I will admit there were no transitions. I myself kind of like to see a smoke develop into something, but still had my attention from begining to end. I would buy more ” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Enjoyable smoke. I liked it. I’d be happy to try a few more. Flavor profile was definitely up my alley, lots of wood, pepper, and notes of depth and darkness. Reminded me a lot of AJ Fernandez’ blends. Reliably big flavor from start to finish, but not really offering a lot in terms of transitional flavors. What you see at the start is pretty much what you get for the duration. The general monotony of the flavors would make this a great knockaround smoke, but probably isn’t something you’d break out at special occasion time. ” –John I. (John I.)
“This was a pretty long smoke for a robusto, taking almost an hour and a half to complete. I enjoyed this one a lot and intentionally smoked it slow and cool. Very nice flavors and great performance. I’ll be seeking this one out again for sure. ” –Dave W. (mdwest)
“With bold and rich flavors, followed up by a nice strong finish, I would be glad to have a box of these in my humidor. If the price is right, this would be a cigar to keep on hand at all times. Well done. ” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
"This was a pretty long smoke for a robusto, taking almost an hour and a half to complete. I enjoyed this one a lot and intentionally smoked it slow and cool. Very nice flavors and great performance. I'll be seeking this one out again for sure. " -Dave W. (mdwest)
