Vitola: Hermoso No. 4
Pre-Light:
The wrapper has an intense aroma that I can only describe as “Cuban funk”. It’s sort of musty, and every time a wrapper has smelled like that to me in the past, the cigar ended up being great. The wrapper is on the lighter side of Colorado and there seems to be an ever-so-slight press to the cigar. The draw is tight, which hopefully won’t put too much of a damper on the experience.
First Third:
Upon lighting, the draw still feels pretty tight, but I’m getting tons of smoke, so no worries. The flavor seems take a course through several familiar profiles, which I’ll chaulk up to my mind playing tricks on me. At first I tasted the sweet breadiness I associate with Upmann, then I got something more on the fruity side that reminded me of either Saint Luis Rey or Vegas Robaina. After 10 or so puffs, the flavor seems to settle into something else entirely. It’s sweet and nutty, but definitely more on the nutty side than the sweet. About halfway into the third, the balance shifts from nutty to sweet, and that causes a pretty drastic change in the flavor profile. The profile has taken on a sort of cola character, but I’m not sure how it transitioned from nutty to cola. As the third progresses, I start to realize the nutty flavor is still present, and the profile shifts between cola and nuts throughout the remainder of the third.
Second Third:
The flavor has shifted back to the nutty side, almost to the point of the cola disappearing. This tastes almost exactly the same as when the profile first settled down in the first third. A few puffs in, I start to notice a very subtle milk chocolate flavor coming into the mix. Just when I thought it was gone for good, the cola comes back again, bu the chocolate hint remains as well. This is my favorite part of the smoke so far.
Final Third:
The last third brings lots more of the chocolate cola combination and the nutty aspect of the profile has faded to almost nothing. I’m loving this smoke and while I enjoyed the changes, I would’ve been just as happy to taste only this the entire time I think. I’m mildly confident in my guess at this point, but if I’m right, I’ve never smoked this cigar before. I can’t wait for the reveal!!