Size: 5″ x 47.36 was measured (supposed to be 5″ x 50, Robusto)
Strength: Mild-Medium
Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
Appearance: 3.75
This is a decent looking stick. The maduro wrapper is appealing, as almost all maduro wrappers are, but it has a few veins in it that are medium in size and it’s not too hard to tell where it was wrapped. It is at least free of cracks. The rings are nice and seem to fit the cigar (traditional CAO).
Construction: 3.5
The cigar is a little loosely rolled, as mentioned below under draw and it’s definitely lacking in the ring gauge department, but other than that it’s a pretty decently constructed stick. It appears to be consistently dense, with no issues in the wrapper. The rings are easy to remove.
Aroma: 9.25
The aroma is definitely that of a maduro cigar, but it’s definitely more mild than any of the powerful maduros or full-bodied cigars. It never seems to sting the nose and is quite pleasant and should be appreciated by all. While I personally would prefer something a little stronger, it’s good enough and pleasant to all, so it scores well here.
Burn/Ash: 7
The burn started out good, but after the first inch, it got really wavy. It always seemed to correct itself, however it would stray quite a bit before it corrected itself. The first ash fell after about 2″, however it left behind a very flat cherry – not ideal.
Draw/Smoke:17
The draw on this stick started out a bit lighter than I would like, somewhere in between loose and medium; however it wasn’t like sucking through a straw. The smoke is actually full and creamy and a nice white – very pleasant as it rolls off the tongue. An inch into the cigar, and the draw seems to have corrected itself and it’s now a perfect medium and the smoke is as creamy as it gets.
Flavor: 30.5
Flavors are most definitely mild to medium, but extremely smooth. The aftertaste has a hint of cocoa and maybe some earth or leather to start? A little further into the stick and I’m picking up a stronger cocoa flavor and some definite nuttiness. This would be a great pairing to almost any scotch. The stick never really develops or becomes complex. The nuttiness comes and goes and is replaced with earthy/leathery flavors at times.
Overall/Value: 12.5
While this stick isn’t worth $5.95, at the $2 or $2.50 for which it can be picked up most times, it’s a decent purchase. It looks pretty good, construction is decent, burn corrects itself, and smoke is amazing. The flavors aren’t in your face, but this is a mostly mild stick and it scores well on smoothness, as it should. And lets not forget that it should pair well with almost any scotch.
Retail Price: $5.95
Appearance: (3.75/5)
Construction: (3.5/5)
Aroma: (9.25/10)
Burn/Ash: (7/10)
Draw/Smoke: (17/20)
Flavor: (30.5/35)
Overall/Value: (12.5/15)
Final Score: (83.5/100)