Here is my first review:
Player J, Stick 1, Overall score is 86
Electric Sheep, Ashton ESG Robusto
Appearance and Construction: 19 of 20
This estimated 5 1/4 x 50 cigar sported a beautiful medium brown natural looking wrapper. No large veins, no water or sun spots. Slight box press on top and bottom. Cap and feet looked excellent. Only took 1 point off, there was really no smell to this cigar, otherwise looks very nice.
Pre-lit draw 8 of 10
Took well to the Palio cutter and revealed a nice, almost too easy draw. Again, no taste detected whatsoever in either the draw nor the taste of the wrapper before lighting. I found this a little odd.
Burning and lighting 11 of 15
Here is where this cigar failed for the most part. The draw did not seem to be the problem, but this sticks burned at a severe angle the entire way and required multiple touch-ups. I lost count around 6. The actual burn was good, just at a bad angle. Took well to 2 purges, never did not get harsh. The ash held well and yielded nicely when taped or rubbed on the ashtray. The ash was lt. gray and even in color, also very nice looking.
Flavor, taste, changes in profile: 26 of 30
The first third was a nice coffee, middle got stronger like an espresso, the last third was more espresso and had faint cedar wood tastes throughout. The espresso tastes did not fade like others in this profile I have tried. Overall complexity is where this lacked, it really did not change much from the espresso. Had a nice steady medium amount of smoke each pull, even with the easy and awkward burn, never getting harsh.
Overall Finish: 10 of 10
The espresso flavors on my pallet and tongue lasted for a long time. Some coffee taste lasted for hours, even past having my dinner. Very nice indeed.
Summary: 12 of 15
This stick lasted me about 65 minutes, laying it to rest with about 1" remaining. Nice medium strength, medium bodied stick. I would call this a nice everyday smoke, but not a special one. I would consider a 5 pack purchase, but not a box. I would estimate this to be a $4.00 to $5.00 price range, should have been a Nicaraguan puro.
This was first out of the box in my reviews, hope I was not too harsh or too easy. We shall see, someone had to start this. Thanks for sharing this cigar with me.
