Cigar Geeks - La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial #3

Cigar Geeks Geek Critique

La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial #3
Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Ken Kelley (Ken Kelley)

90
Cigar Geeks Rating

Welcome to another Cigar Geeks Critique of a cigar provided to us by our friends at Cigars Direct. Up for review this time is the La Aroma de Cuba.

La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial #3

Brand:: La Aroma de Cuba
Name:: Edicion Especial #3
Length:: 6
Ring Gauge:: 50
Country of Origin:: Nicaragua
Filler:: Nicaragua
Binder:: Nicaragua
Wrapper:: Ecuador
Color:: Colorado Maduro
Strength:: Medium-Full
Shape:: Toro
Average Member Rating:: (6 Review(s))
Notes:: http://www.ashtoncigar.com/La-Aroma-de-Cuba-Edicion-Especial.jsp

This cigar was enjoyed with Water

Pre-Light: 18 Points of 10 Possible

This medium brown cigar sports a fairly ornate, but attractive band. It's firm to the touch without any soft spots and has a nice heft to it. The wrapper is slightly veiny with a touch of oily sheen. The cap was secure with a few small wrinkles around the edge. There were a couple of tears in the wrapper probably due to transit. I repaired a loose flap of wrapper with a touch of pectin and it laid right down. I left another small star-shaped tear alone and hoped for the best. Both tears were in the wrapper and the binder was intact. Prelight aroma was faint with just a hint of tobacco tang. It clipped cleanly and the cold draw was perfect with a slight resistance and a sweet, peanutty taste

Lighting and Burn: 12 Points of 15 Possible

I used a splinter of Spanish cedar to light the cigar. It toasted easily and lit perfectly. The draw was excellent with just the right amount of resistance. It produced a good volume of smoke and an average amount of resting smoke. The burn was slightly wavy but always corrected itself. When the burn line got to the damaged portion of the cigar it bulged a bit and the wrapper split back about half an inch, however the binder didn't split. The burn wavered for about half an inch but corrected itself once it passed the damaged portion. The ash was light gray and a little flakey. It fell off by itself at the inch and a half point and stayed intact when it hit the concrete floor of my shop. It ashed by itself once more, again with about an inch and a half of ash before it dropped. During the last third of the cigar the burn got very uneven but not to the point of requiring a correction.

Construction: 28 Points of 30 Possible

This cigar was firm throughout it's length with no hard or soft spots. The wrapper was smooth and even. The cap was well applied and secure. The only issue with the cap was a few small wrinkles around the edges. The slight bulging which caused the wrapper to split may just have been due to the slightly damaged wrapper. I don't think any points need to be deducted for it because it didn't cause any burn problems except as noted previously. The perfect draw and the fact that the smoke stayed cool all the way to the end is witness to a well rolled cigar.

Flavor and Aroma: 32 Points of 45 Possible

I was greeted with a hint of pepper right after lighting. The first part of the first third was mild and creamy with a slight sweetness. Near the middle of the first third the flavor went to a very pleasant sweetened coffee with cream and a slight tang of cedar. This sweet coffee flavor lasted for the whole smoke and the cedar tang was always present in the background. The smoke seemed to coat the inside of my mouth and left a pleasant short aftertaste. During the second third the intensity built up to about medium and stayed at that level. In the last third the flavor intensified slightly and an earthy flavor emerged. Occasional mild peppery notes popped up every so often just to keep things interesting. The nutty flavor hinted at in the cold draw never materialized. However, the resting smoke had a slightly nutty aroma that was quite pleasant. Throughout the smoke my consistent impression was of mildly sweetened coffee with cream flavor and a slight tang of cedar. The flavor was never boring and changed in intensity often enough to keep my interest all the way to the end.

Summary

I really didn't have a clue as to what to expect from this cigar as it is the first La Aroma de Cuba I've ever smoked. I'm a Nicaraguan tobacco fan so the slight sweetness was a real hit for me. Also really enjoyed the mellow, creamy coffee flavor very much. I was a little worried about the burn about halfway through but every time it looked like it might get out of hand it corrected itself nicely. I would definitely smoke another La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Special and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it if this stick is representative of the brand.