Cigar Geeks Geek Critique
89
Cigar Geeks Rating
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Welcome to another member sponsored Cigar Geeks Critique. This one is sponsored by Nick (Nes Tek). Up for review this time is the Mi Barrio El Forro. Thanks to Nick for sponsoring this one!
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This cigar was enjoyed with Scotch & Water
Pre-Light: 19 Points of 10 Possible
A great looking cigar sporting a dark, reddish-brown Colorado Maduro wrapper with a nice oily sheen. It was a bit veiny and rustic looking, and you could actually see how the leaves were rolled in the wrapper. Had a nicely made cap and an interesting looking cigar band (the kind that might tell a story if you look at it in detail). The wrapper had a sweet aroma to it, and the pre-light draws brought images of leather, tobacco and sweetness.
Lighting and Burn: 13 Points of 15 Possible
The burn was steady and required no attention until the last third of the cigar. In fact, this stick held a really long, blackish-gray ash for much of the smoke. The first ash lasted to 1.25" and interestingly you could see exactly where the vein was in the ash by a dark line (see my Photo Album for this). After the first ash fell off, the second ash lasted to a full 2"! (See photo.) Only during the final 1/3 it began to burn unevenly and required a quick correction with the cutter. Throughout the experience, the draw was slightly firm and almost perfect. The billowy smoke was very blue in color.
Construction: 27 Points of 30 Possible
This cigar was rolled nearly perfect, as evidenced by the long ashes that held on forever. It was firm with no soft spots, and felt like a heavy cigar with no skimping on the tobacco. The cap was nearly perfect and held up for the entire smoke. Only near the end did part of the wrapper start to split and the burn became uneven, but even that was not too bad of an issue.
Flavor and Aroma: 30 Points of 45 Possible
I wouldn't say that this is a full strength cigar as billed, but rather medium to medium-full.
First third: Pepper through the nose at the onset, but this immediately mellowed out with some chocolate and creamy characteristics, with a hint of vanilla
Second Third: This is where this cigar really exploded and became more rich and complex. Vanilla really started pouring through, along with more pepper, spices and charred wood. The creamy characteristic from the first third started to dissipate, making this a fuller smoke. There were a lot of flavors being experienced on the back of my tongue. What really amazed me at this point was the 2" long ash and blue smoke (see photo).
Last third: The flavor remained rich and complex with the addition of a roasted nut taste. However, at the point right before I had to correct the single burn issue, a few puffs of ammonia came through. That could have been a sign of the young age of this particular stick, and seemed to correct itself after I cut some off to correct the burn. I smoked this down to the nub. It left very little aftertaste on my palate.
Summary
Overall, this was a great cigar that I will add to my rotation in the future. Took one hour, 25 minutes to smoke down to the nub, and I took photos along the experience which you will find in my album. My understanding is that the particular stick I reviewed had only a few months of age on it, so I want to get some of these and sock them away in a humidor for a year to see how much better they can become (which is my expectation).
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(5 Review(s))