Mrs.Cigar Moose was very good to me this year and surprised me with a few cigar related gifts. She bought me a Romeo y Julieta Edicion Limitada 6 cigar sampler that included a very nice Montecristo pen with built in cigar punch. Review to follow at a later date.
She really surprised me with a Xikar Spectra cutter that I have had my eye on for a couple years now.
And with her order she received an Artisan Nicaraguan Maduro cigar as a bonus! And that's what I am reviewing today. So today on a very miserable snowy day, I found myself in my shed, a soon to be Man Cave/Wood shop. Kerosene heater blazing and a couple lawn chairs, Mrs. Cigar Moose and I found it very tolerable and almost comfortable to light up a couple sticks.
This Brand from what I can see, can only be had from famous-smoke.com. It's not a super expensive cigar. Its not a cheap cigar, but well worth it's money. Famous describes this one as medium bodied and loaded with smooth, sweet, woody flavors and a note of cocoa on the finish.
First thing I notice on this cigar is it's gorgeous Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper that glistens with that wonderful oily sheen. The wrapper is quite toothy with prominent veins. The body smells of sweet hay, and the foot smells of sweet hazel nuts. The body was firm with only one spot that was slightly spongy. Using my new cutter, the generous cap came off quickly and cleanly. Wow! I love this cutter!
Pre-light draw is excellent and almost effortless. It tastes of sweet rich tobaccos. Upon light I was quite surprised that even though this cigar was made with Nicaraguan long fillers, it was very mild and mellow. My initial tastes are of sweet nuttiness. As the cigar progressed, it had a nice even burn with a silvery ash. First flick of the ash produced a decent cone. The cigar remained mellow with a sweet woody taste as described right up to the halfway point. It's at this time the smoke becomes more medium body with a very faint hint of black pepper on the back of the palette. This medium character remained for the rest of the smoke. On the last inch, the draw became a little tighter but still quite manageable.
Buzz rating on this one I give a 7.5 out of 10: There was definitely a buzz going on here, not monstrous, but definitely present.
Overall I give this cigar 4.5 out of 5. Very nice flavor profile which was quite eventful. I really like spicy cigars, but this was really a good cigar without all the spice. It reminded me of a high quality Maduro, like the ones I used to smoke when I first got into cigars. The sweet nuttiness will not disappoint any seasoned smoker or cigar newbie alike. Seriously considering putting a bundle in my humidor for summer.
These cigars from Famous-smoke can be bought in bundles of 20 for $65. That's a little over $3 a stick, not bad for a really premium cigar in my opinion. A 5 pack will run you $27, a single about $6. But if you just want to try all the different types Artisan makes (six in all) you can get a sampler of 12 (2 each) for $26. If you want something different from your normal smoke or are just starting out in the cigar hobby, this is a great cigar to buy, and I highly recommend it.
Till next post....................Peace!
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