Cuban Cigar Reviews

Country of origin: Cuba
Dimensions:  4 3/8 inches by 42 – ring gauge

Date smoked: Saturday 09/19/08
Time:  6:18 PM – 7:01PM
Location:  Evening at my smoking patio.
Accompanying drinks:  Filtered water, carbonated water.

Color of wrapper:   Creamy brown wrapper.  Construction:  Appeared to be well constructed and firm but overly.  It gave slightly to the touch and had faint traces of oil.

Pre-light Aroma:  Coco, with a hazelnut and coffee overtone.

Cut:  Guillotine
Pre-Light Draw:  Nuts, hay and barn yard earth greeted my palate.
Combustion:  Torch lighter.
Post Light Aroma:  From its opening moment the bouquet produced hazelnut cappuccino married lightly to barnyard earth.

Initial Draw: The initial draw greeted me with a distinctive evolution of flavor.  Lightly toasted tobacco moved toward hazelnut and heavy toffee creaminess which lingered on my palate only to return to a more subtle toasted tobacco finish.   Plentiful smoke rose and entreated me to a bouquet of tobacco and toasted nuts.  Slightly resistive with an effortless draw, this cigar was off to a great start.

First third:  The lightly toasted tobacco became more pronounced, opened up and moved into a mature barnyard flavor.  Diminishing in strength from the initial draws, the heavy toffee and hazelnut offered a refreshing sweetness in contrast to the earthiness of the toasted tobacco.

Soon, the burn became crooked and when flame was applied to correct, in what appeared to be outright defiance on the cigars behalf, the ash became flaky and the wrapper began to open like a Christmas present.  Not wishing to make things worse I decided to allow the burn to run its course without further attempts at correction.

Second third:  The second third grew in intensity with heartier tobacco moving further in the foreground.  Still diminished from its opening the toffee and creaminess formed a melodious sweet punctuation to each draw.
Remaining defiant, the ash was flaky and the burn continued to be stubborn.  The wrapper did cease to open and since the first attempt to correct the burn ended with the potential for disaster no further correction was attempted.

Final third:  Large volumes of smoke poured from the final third.  The very prominent toasted tobacco remained consistent with hay and barnyard aromas permeating my smoking patio.  The sweet hazelnut and creamy texture albeit even more subdued than earlier continued to offer appropriate contrast.  The ash finally tightened and attractive grayish black tiger striping was visible.  I finished this cigar only when my fingers caught fire.

Synopsis:  Having smoked many San Cristobal cigars, the San Cristobal El Principe did not disappoint.  From beginning to end I was impressed with the progression of pure tobacco counterbalanced by the undercurrent of creaminess and sweetness.  Yes, the rebellious burn and ash diminished some satisfaction; however, the blending of the tobacco and delivery of the flavor profile forgave many sins.  I completely recommend this cigar for consumption now and would be interested to see what some years of aging will bring.    

Start: 11:15 PM Finish: 12:50 AM

Food: Proscuitto de Parma layered over fresh mozzarella and tomatoes on a bed of arugula with a splash of balsamic vinegar and cracked pepper (I love this salad and had to have it again tonight). Breaded 1 inch thick baked pork chop with sautéed spinach and an Indonesian rice pilaf. Desert was simple. 2 oz of organic dark chocolate and a 50 year tawny port.

Drink: S. Pellegrino over ice & Glenmorange 15 year old single malt scotch. Neat with 3 drops of water.

Location: Garage at my computer with the door ½ inch up.

Pre light aroma: This cigar was earthy with a healthy wallop of sweet spice.

Construction: This cigar appeared to be in good condition. It was ever so slightly box pressed. I was a little concerned with a small tear in the leaf near the band. It had the look rich leather and reminded me of a fine desk pad. When pinched it had just the right amount of give and felt properly humidified.

Pre Light: I made a clean cut with my Xikar cigar cutter and took a pre light draw. The pre draw revealed my second desert. Tastes of nutmeg and sweet earth rush to my palate! I was thinking that if this is the initial pre lit draw that I could hardly wait to toast this beauty! The draw was a tiny bit tight but was certainly acceptable.

Light: I used a Colibri torch lighter and toasted the foot. The cigar lit splendidly.

Taste: The initial draw was, well….heavenly. I was surrounded in sweet spice with the taste of Madagascar vanilla permiating the air. I was encircled in an aroma of syrupy ethereal smoke. I took each draw slowly as to savor each and every moment in time. I thought that if this was just the first 1/8 of the cigar I can’t wait to see how the rest unfolds! The tight grayish white ash was held in place with tiny black slits in contrast. While not as beautiful as the ash of the RyJ Ex#4 I had smoked earlier, it was a close second. The 15 year old single malt was a faultless accent to this cigar. It accentuated the hints of vanilla from the cigar. It was clean and had the taste of a refined smoke that is destined to improve with age. I smoked the entire stick without much of a change in the flavor profile. The strength was medium and never really developed into anything stronger. The flavor was maintained through the whole smoke and while I was hoping for something amazing to happen it never did. This was a fairly young stick and with a little age I could see that this could have some great potential. I want to lay these down for probably 3-5 years and revisit them. This was a joy to smoke.

Synopsis: This cigar is destined to stay in my. This is aproachable now, but I could only imagine what 3-5 years could yield! The argument for smoking right away is that you know what you are getting. You don’t have to concentrate on a complex flavor profile and can just enjoy the stick. This was a great cigar that can only improve with time.