This cigar was enjoyed with Water
Pre-Light: 20 Points of 10 Possible
This hefty robusto is strikingly attractive. The oily colorado maduro wrapper, slightly variegated, has a distinct copper coloring. The wrapping is beautiful: there are one or two minor veins, but nary a seam to be found. There's a little pigtail, flattened against the cap. It's very solid and firm to the touch, but when clipped the draw is perfect -- a great roll.
A sniff of the foot brings a bite of pepper, which also shows up on the cold draw, mixed with some straw.
Lighting and Burn: 14 Points of 15 Possible
The light was easy and the ash outstanding -- firm and strong, it grew to more than two inches before I tapped it, and that was the only time I ashed it. The burn was a little uneven; I'm going to cut it some slack because I smoked this cigar outside (on a gorgeous night sitting on a roofdeck in Boston's South End), and the breeze may have contributed to the uneveness. Nothing a torch couldn't fix, though. Lots of smoke, too, nice and satisfying.
Construction: 29 Points of 30 Possible
The construction of the Arsenio was absolutely top notch. I loved the look and feel of the wrapper and the perfect pigtailed cap. The cigar felt decidedly heavy, but the draw could not have been better. The long, solid ash was a further testament to the fine construction. In looks and build, the Arsenio is almost the equivalent of a Victoria's Secret model.
Flavor and Aroma: 32 Points of 45 Possible
Lighting brought a swirl of white pepper, tingling the sides of my tongue and my sinuses on the retrohale. At first the body was light; there wasn't much beyond the pepper. But it started to settle down after a couple of puffs, and then: Nicaragua! It had that flavor, that dark, leathery, faintly sweet quality that I associate with Tatuaje, and Illusione, and Pepin, and all of those excellent Nic puros. It wasn't immediately rich, still a little lighter in body, still not very deep in flavor, but I knew it was heading in the right direction.
The flavors rounded out about an inch into the smoke and they did grow richer. There was chocolate, coffee, toffee, and milder, toned down spice. I could tell this would be good -- this is my flavor profile.
And it *was* good, better than good. It was tremendous. I smoked it slowly, and the flavors were complex. About an inch and a half in I got flavors that were startlingly Cubanesque -- a leathery floral twang that I never find in noncubans. If I'd smoked this cigar blind and made a prediction based on only these puffs, I'm sure I would have called it Cuban.
A little further on, I got more of the Nicaraguan notes: faint vanilla-ish tones, some sweetness, some espresso. Each puff was different. The floral notes returned, then more leather.
The last third was a bit less dynamic, mostly leather with warm spice returning. Flavors faded a bit as I neared the nub, but that's forgivable, because the smoke had been awesome.
Summary
An astonishingly good cigar. The construction was stellar, the flavors complex, dynamic, and delicious, with classic Nicaraguan flavor notes that you'd expect from a Nicaraguan puro, plus some unexpected floral notes that call to mind a good Habana. It's box-worthy, in my view -- I'll make the room somehow.
|
|
(12 Review(s))