Not sure I thought they were excellent, but definitely worth a try. Before they were up for sale in the
store, Michel Malek from FA sent me some samples to review on the site (
here and
here). Surprisingly, the Ringo was my least favorite of the bunch (but I also had it hyped up in my head a bit). Here are the brief thoughts I posted:
EGO Perfect by Felix Assouline - Michel Malek of Felix Assouline Cigars is an active member of Cigar Federation and we've corresponded many times in the past including setting up the recent giveaway on the site. Through some discussion, he asked if I'd share some of my thoughts on the blends offered by the company and proceeded to send me some samples. The first is the EGO. The branding and bands on the EGO are pretty cool. The cigar has a smooth, chocolate Habano Criollo 98 wrapper with the slightest reddish hue and several flat veins. An Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers comprise the smoke. Pre-light draw is super tight with some woodsy and chocolate flavors, but I'm hoping this doesn't impede the smoking experience. Upon lighting, the draw is so tight that I can barely produce any smoke or discern any flavor. I'm concerned, but hoping that it opens up as I continue. Once I get past the tapered foot, the draw opens significantly and I'm met with an explosion of spice. The spice remains on the finish with wood and cocoa being the main players. I also get a unique sweetness - almost a caramel - but it is fleeting. Surprisingly, as we move into the second third, the flavors switch with the spice a bit dominant and the wood and cocoa as background players on the finish. This remains into the final third. For me, this is a solid medium-full to full cigar that provides some intriguing flavors. That unique sweetness I mentioned was intriguing and kept me hoping for me, but, as I said, it was few and far between.
Havana Sunrise Reserve Ray by Felix Assouline - The second cigar from Felix Assouline I experienced was the Havana Sunrise Reserve in the Ray size. The band on the Havana Sunrise Reserve reminds me a lot of the Oliva Master Blends band. The Habano Criollo 98 wrapper is a bit darker than my picture shows, but it's a milk chocolate brown with some visible veins. The cigar has the same makeup as the EGO with Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. Pre-light draw has cedar/earth flavors with a distinct sweetness and very open. Initial draws are full of pepper spice. As I enter the second third, spice mellows a bit and the draw tightens. Flavors are a bit muted in the middle, but I'm getting solid tobacco flavors. The spice returns in the final third with a bit of sweetness. This cigar was a bit more mild than the EGO - a solid medium pushing to medium-full at times, but, surprisingly, I think I enjoyed it a bit more than the EGO due to the sweetness that provided a nice counterbalance to the spice.
Felix Assouline Limited Reserve Something Special Sublime - Like the other Felix Assouline cigars I've had, this has a Habano Criollo 98 wrapper with Indonesian wrapper and Nicaraguan and Honduran wrappers. I'm not in love with the branding on this one - "Something Special" just seems like a bad name for a cigar and I didn't even know it was called "Limited Reserve" until I read the marketing information as I don't see this indicated on the band. Not my choice, but I would have much preferred it just be called "Limited Reserve". Pre-light draw is heavy on the cedar - very heavy. Upon lighting, I'm hit with a bit of harshness that I don't find overly alluring - not a spice, but just an overall harshness. The woodsy/cedar flavor is there with a leathery aspect. The aroma at this point is that of burnt paper - in fact, a guy in the shop actually questioned what I was smoking and said it smelled like a "blunt". Not sure what he was referring to exactly. After about an inch, the smoke improves dramatically. The harshness disappears as the woodsy/cedar flavors take center stage with a bit of baking spice. Draw is excellent on this (as it has been on all Felix Assouline cigars thus far), but burn is a bit wonky - nothing that requires fixing or ruins the experience, but something to note. As the second third progresses and moves to the final third, a sweet spice is taking over. As we near the end, the cigar is hitting on all cylinders - the cedar is picking up, the sweet spice is still there especially on the retrohale. One inch in and I thought I'd hate this cigar, but the end of it was very enjoyable. I'm going to sit on one and see if it changes over time.
Felix Assouline Ringo Colt - The fourth and final blend I'm trying from Felix Assouline is perhaps the one I'm most excited for - for no other reason that the 6.5 x 38 Colt vitola is a gorgeous box-pressed petit lancero cigar and right up my alley. Like all the Felix Assouline blends, the Ringo has a Habano Criollo 98 wrapper with an Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. The wrapper looks much like the other cigars, but has a few more noticeable seams as I imagine rolling a box-pressed lancero provides a bit more trouble than some of the other vitolas I've had from Felix Assouline. Marketed as a "call to our Western heritage", the branding is pretty cool with a old-time Western theme and 4 Aces on the band. Cedar is again prevalent on the pre-light draw, but not nearly as much as the Something Special. Initial draws off the light smoke very similarly to the Something Special. Draw is a bit tighter than the other examples I've smoked and I've had to relight a few times already as I make it to the midway point. Unlike the Something Special, the flavor profile isn't really changing much, but maybe I attribute that to the slight burn issues. A decent smoke, and I might be deflated because I was looking forward to this one the most, but probably my least favorite of the 4. I find that the majority of the time I hype something up in my head, it ends up disappointing me - I really have to try to refrain from that going forward.
