Some cigars just grab you, you know? You take that first puff and everything is just right - body, flavors, smoke, draw. And you think, "Oh, yeah..." and you just know that you're going to love the rest of it, too. That's happened four, maybe five times since I started this hobby, and it happened again last week.
I obtained this Padilla Habano (Toro: 6" x 54) in a wonderful sampler from Cigars International. It's a good-looking cigar, with a not-too-fancy label over a smooth, oily Habano wrapper. Construction looks excellent - the Nicaraguan binder and filler is firm and evenly packed with a nice, tight cap. After clipping, the unlit draw had a nutty, woodsy sweetness to it that made me want to fire it up all the more.
I toasted the foot and lit it up and from the first puff I knew I was in for an enjoyable ride. It started off medium-bodied and very flavorful. I immediately picked up the nuttiness that I'd detected before, and also a sweet (almost citrus-y) spice and smoky, salty leather that perfectly complemented the sweetness. It was very, very smooth, even when retrohaling. The finish was short and crisp, with a slight, white-pepper zing to it. In the second half, I picked up a little cocoa, too. Not a lot, and it would come and go, one or two puffs out of every ten, maybe. Unusual, but not unpleasant at all.
It seemed to me that it got stronger as it burned. It never reached what I would consider full-bodied, but it definitely picked up steam. That didn't interfere with the flavors, though which were mostly consistent from one end to the other. The cigar gave off nice clouds of sweet-smelling smoke, and the burn was cool and even and razor sharp - no touch-ups required.
All in all I'd have to say that my first impression was the right impression on this one. A very smooth, flavorful, enjoyable cigar.
Appearance and Construction: 14/15
Flavor: 22/25
Smoking Characteristics: 22/25
Overall Impression: 32/35
Total: 90/100
No comments:
Post a Comment