Blind Cigar Review: Felix Assouline | Havana Sunrise Reserve Ray

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Corona Gorda
Length: 5.5″
Ring Gauge: 44
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Habano 98
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras
Factory: Assouline Omega Tabacos
Blender: Felix Assouline
Number of reviewers: 5 —– Brian (B-daddy) Jason (bigslowrock) Ron (shuckins) Sandeep (Djangos) Will (Dubv23)
Price: $5.00
Age: 5 months rest
Release Date: June 2013
Contributed by: Felix Assouline Cigars

Cigar Info

From Manufacturer – “Havana Sunrise Reserve is our nod to the old traditions of yesterday. Havana Sunrise Reserve Cigars is a medium to full body line introduced in 5 vitolas. HSR are produced with carefully blended tobaccos from Honduras, Nicaragua and Indonesia. HSR Cigars range from a corona size Ray of 44 x 5 ½ to a Beacon at 56 x 6 ½ Toro. All Havana Sunrise Reserve come in boxes of 30 box pressed cigars.”

Initial Impressions

Blind Cigar Review: Felix Assouline | Havana Sunrise Reserve Ray — Blind Cigar Review: Felix Assouline | Havana Sunrise

Appearance: 92

“Pretty, neat, tight. Even cocoa brown wrapper with small veins and nice (gentle) box press. Couple small dark flecks. Neat triple cap.” –Brian (B-daddy)

Aroma: 91

“Faint cocoa and light cedar smell.” –Ron (shuckins)

“Hay, barnyard and a hint of cocoa. Pretty pungent for such a little guy.” –Brian (B-daddy)

Construction: 91

“Pretty lightly packed. Evenly spongy throughout. No noticeable soft or hard spots. Nice box press, wrap and triple cap.” –Brian (B-daddy)

First Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“A blast of peppery cedar on light up. After a few puffs the pepper toned down and a taste of cocoa with a splash of coffee eased its way in.” –Ron (shuckins)

“There is a small blast of pepper to start off with. I feel the pepper throughout my mouth. I am finding the draw a little on the tighter side and this is possibly the reason for the lesser amounts of smoke. As the third progresses, the flavors of leather and wood (I think oak more than cedar) are becoming more prominent. Unfortunately, even though the flavors are becoming more pronounced and better, the draw is getting worse. I am finding it hard to get much smoke with each draw. The ash is almost white to light grey and is holding for about an inch before falling off. The burn line is quite straight. I am hoping that in the next third the draw is going to open up and increase the enjoyment of this good cigar.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

Second Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The dominant flavor continues to be oak. As the third progresses, I’m picking up a nice variety of flavors in the background. First it’s a bit of vanilla. Next, I’m picking up notes of nutmeg and tea and finally it transitions into a nice espresso.” –Jason (bigslowrock)

“Profile stick with a consistent delivery of spice, wood and coffee while picking up in body and delivering more flavors.” –Will (Dubv23)

Final Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Not much change in this last third. Primarily a coffee and tobacco flavor profile; slipping more towards medium than full bodied. As it has been throughout, this continues to be a smokestack, pumping out huge volumes of thick smoke.” –Brian (B-daddy)

“The flavors continue to be quite good and complex and changing just the way I like it. The predominant flavors are that of leather and tobacco. The pepper is dying down now. The draw is however just as bad as when it started, I am surprised that with just an inch left the draw is still posing a lot of issues. This cigar would have scored quite higher than this had it not been for a poor draw. The burn is still straight and the ash is holding well.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 89

“Tight at first, but smooth with plenty of smoke the rest of the way.” –Ron (shuckins)

Burn: 90

“Very clean line and pretty even. Didn’t require any touch ups.” –Will (Dubv23)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium

Overall Experience: 89

“The first third was essentially a different cigar than the next two thirds. The first third was big and bold and strong and the next two were mellow and relatively ordinary. Hard to tell if I just got used to it or if the actual transition was that dramatic. I’d like to smoke this one again to see if it was a fluke or if there’s a pattern here. Anyway, I think it’s a good cigar and would recommend it to those who like a full or med-full profile.” –Brian (B-daddy)

“Great cigar. I nubbed it. I really like all the flavors that the cigar delivered. My wallet will probably be a bit lighter after finding out the identity of the cigar.” –Jason (bigslowrock)

“A decent smoke but it never quite got to where I was hoping it would go.” –Ron (shuckins)

“The cigar was okay. It had a decent profile that was consistent with subtle changes with a bigger, more noticeable shift in the final third where a bitterness came forth. Construction was okay as well but visually had some standout attributes that lowered the score.” –Will (Dubv23)

“The cigar would have scored in the range of 93 or 94 had it not been for the draw. The flavors however were quite good with complexity and good transitions. I am hoping that this was just one dud cause I definitely want to try another one for the flavor profile.” –Sandeep (Djangos)