Cigar Geeks - Xikar HC Series Connecticut Grande

Cigar Geeks Geek Critique

Xikar HC Series Connecticut Grande
Written by Cigar Geeks Member: akira (akira)

86
Cigar Geeks Rating

Welcome to another Cigar Geeks Critique of a vitola provided to us by our friends at Xikar Cigars. This is part 2 of our 2 part series for Xikar cigars. Up for review this time is the Xikar HC Series Habano Colorado Petite Corona. A special thanks goes out to Nathan (nwb) for setting this one up.

Xikar HC Series Connecticut Grande

Brand:: Xikar
Name:: HC Series Connecticut Grande
Length:: 6
Ring Gauge:: 60
Country of Origin:: Nicaragua
Filler:: Costa Rica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Binder:: Sumatra
Wrapper:: Connecticut Shade
Ecuador
Color:: Colorado Claro
Strength:: Medium
Shape:: Toro Gordo
Average Member Rating:: (3 Review(s))

This cigar was enjoyed with Water

Pre-Light: 15 Points of 10 Possible

This is a beefy cigar with a light brown and somewhat bumpy wrapper. There is one prominent vein and a couple other noticeable crinkles. The cap is neatly applied and it clipped easily. There is a slight give to the cigar when squeezed, but nothing too alarming. The prelight aroma was great. I detected a subtle sweetness along with hay and a hint of maple.

Lighting and Burn: 14 Points of 15 Possible

The cigar lit easily and had a slightly wavy burn throughout. The ash is solid and held on for the first inch and a half, after that, it fell in my lap so I knocked it off every inch or so. The burn rate is nice and slow, even though it doesn't seem to be packed particularly tight.

Construction: 25 Points of 30 Possible

The draw is somewhat loose for my liking, but it results in clouds of smoke with each draw. The wrapper, as I mentioned before, is bumpy and has a few veins, but the actual construction is great, with a nice even bunching and nice roll.

Flavor and Aroma: 32 Points of 45 Possible

The flavor and aroma are my definition of a Connecticut wrapped cigar. There is plenty of sweet leathery aromas with a slight cedary aftertaste. There is a hint of white pepper at the beginning which turns to a cayenne bite, before subsiding. There is also a slight wet hay sourness that came through at the beginning.

Summary

Overall, this cigar was great. I'm not usually a huge fan of Connecticut cigars, but this one really surprised me. I'm probably not going to rush out to purchase more of these, but the flavor was good and evolved through the entire cigar, which kept my interest. The Xikar brand has really followed through with some quality cigars and I would definitely recommend them.