San Cristóbal de la Habana
El Principe
Ring size 42
Length 4.3"
I bought this one last time I was in France. I don't know the production date, but it had been sitting in my humidor for more than two months. Enough to weather through any sort of travel sickness.
This is a good looking cigar. Nice and straight, firmly packed, solid cap. Pre light, it emits a very strong cedary aroma. The cap clips off easily, I give it a whirl above my bic lighter and the smoking begins. First thing that hits me is that the draw is incredibly tight. I have to fight for every puff and consequentially the smoke output is not as heavy as one would have hoped. The fight pays off, though, as the cigar puts out crisp, present flavors right off the bat. It starts off very cedary but transforms soon into a rich floral taste. The taste is similar to the Partagás Mille Fleurs, but creamier, and with just a bit of a savory component that nicely rounds up the whole picture. One word: wonderful.
Unfortunatelly, the draw stays firm all the way through. It's almost prohibitively tight. If I had my pipe tool with me, I'd try poking a hole in it. There are no other downsides to this cigar - the flavor is very pleasant, the burn line is straight and consistent. The ash has a light gray shade and falls off in 1" clumps. In the first half, there is no harshness, no bitterness, even though I pull hard on it due to the tight draw.
In the second half, the power ramps up a bit. No harshness but I start to feel the tingling of nicotine. The flavor stays the same.
Past the band, the power increases even more. I feel the nicotine on my lips, and in my limbs. The flavor has finally shifted from the floral stuff more into the area of roasted nuts. Not bad, but not as great as before. Eventually (after 40 minutes or so), the tight draw takes its toll and the cigar goes out. I let it rest. There is no aftertaste to speak of, however even almost a day after smoking, I still feel the astrigent effect of the smoke in my mouth.
Bottom line: This was a very pleasant surprise. A very aromatic, yet smooth cigar. Wonderful flavor and no harshness, nor was the nicotine overpowering. The draw, however, was bordering on being prohibitively tight - any tighter and it would have been impossible to smoke this one. At the same time, I gotta admit that I've been having some troubles with my storage (RH shot over 72 % recently), so I don't know if I can chalk up the draw to the cigar alone.
Would smoke again.
El Principe
Ring size 42
Length 4.3"
I bought this one last time I was in France. I don't know the production date, but it had been sitting in my humidor for more than two months. Enough to weather through any sort of travel sickness.
This is a good looking cigar. Nice and straight, firmly packed, solid cap. Pre light, it emits a very strong cedary aroma. The cap clips off easily, I give it a whirl above my bic lighter and the smoking begins. First thing that hits me is that the draw is incredibly tight. I have to fight for every puff and consequentially the smoke output is not as heavy as one would have hoped. The fight pays off, though, as the cigar puts out crisp, present flavors right off the bat. It starts off very cedary but transforms soon into a rich floral taste. The taste is similar to the Partagás Mille Fleurs, but creamier, and with just a bit of a savory component that nicely rounds up the whole picture. One word: wonderful.
Unfortunatelly, the draw stays firm all the way through. It's almost prohibitively tight. If I had my pipe tool with me, I'd try poking a hole in it. There are no other downsides to this cigar - the flavor is very pleasant, the burn line is straight and consistent. The ash has a light gray shade and falls off in 1" clumps. In the first half, there is no harshness, no bitterness, even though I pull hard on it due to the tight draw.
In the second half, the power ramps up a bit. No harshness but I start to feel the tingling of nicotine. The flavor stays the same.
Past the band, the power increases even more. I feel the nicotine on my lips, and in my limbs. The flavor has finally shifted from the floral stuff more into the area of roasted nuts. Not bad, but not as great as before. Eventually (after 40 minutes or so), the tight draw takes its toll and the cigar goes out. I let it rest. There is no aftertaste to speak of, however even almost a day after smoking, I still feel the astrigent effect of the smoke in my mouth.
Bottom line: This was a very pleasant surprise. A very aromatic, yet smooth cigar. Wonderful flavor and no harshness, nor was the nicotine overpowering. The draw, however, was bordering on being prohibitively tight - any tighter and it would have been impossible to smoke this one. At the same time, I gotta admit that I've been having some troubles with my storage (RH shot over 72 % recently), so I don't know if I can chalk up the draw to the cigar alone.
Would smoke again.
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