Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broad-leaf
Filler: Nicaraguan long-leaf ligeros
Size: Salomon
Length: 7.1
Ring Gauge: 58
Price: $3.11
Smoking time: 1 Hour 45 Min.
Humidor time: 1 day
Purchased: CigarHut.com
- Small wrapper crack about 1/3 up from foot.
Construction: This is the first cigar I have smoked that has the Salomon shape so I was a bit apprehensive about how it would go. Overall this was a great looking stick with a wrapper that looked to have above normal qualities. It was a nice rich, dark brown, it was rolled on nicely and was nearly vein free. Upon closer inspection I did find a wrapper problem; at about the one third point there, was a crack in the wrapper on both sides of the cigar. The cigar was also a bit egg shaped and it’s my guess that this was a storage or packaging problem not a manufacturing problem.
Pre-light: I was a bit surprised when I discovered that this wrapper only had a very slight aroma of tobacco and wood and the end cap was virtually tasteless. I clipped the end and cold draw had the same slight flavor notes.
First third: It was easier to get this cigar burning than I had thought it would be, of course the draw was stiff at the beginning, but as the diameter of the foot increased so did the draw. Once it was burning I was surprised at the large volume of sweet, nutty, tobacco flavored smoke it produced. I was also surprised by the initial jolt of burn-the-front-of-your-tongue-pepper that roared from this full bodied cigar. Luckily the pepper blast was short lived and the flavor settled into a nice creamy mix of earth and oak and the body dropped down to more of a medium.
Middle: By the mid point I had smoked right through both wrapper cracks without incident and the cigar still had the same great flavor mix and smoke aroma as the first third.
End: Into the final third, the burn, which at one time had been dead on, began to wander off and the draw firmed up a bit, well actually enough that I had to re-light once. The flavor mix was building in earthiness and the strength had increased making this a solid full bodied cigar.
Overall: I really enjoyed this cigar, even though the wrapper never really did develop any flavor it was an enjoyable smoke. At this price I will probably purchase a couple more five packs to have on hand.
Appearance and construction: 19
Flavor: 18
Smoking characteristics: 18
Overall experience: 18
Purchased Price: 19
Total: 92
