Cabaiguán cigars are blended by Jose Pepin Garcia for Pete Johnson of Tatuaje.

The wrapper on this stick is a golden brown with some small to medium-sized veins and a splotch or two. This Connecticut shade wrapper is grown in Ecuador and sports a pleasant aroma of alfalfa and roasted nuts. I have also noted that the wrappers are fairly fragile on these cigars and the wrapper leaf will split at the slightest provocation.

The cigar is firm to the touch indicating that it is plenty full of tobacco and the foot was cut at a slight angle, obviously an oversight. The head of these cigars tapers sharply and displays Pepin Garcia’s trademark triple-cap.

I clip the head with a Xikar cutter and then light with my Porsche Design lighter. It was breezy outside, so I excused myself to the calmness of my garage for the light. After setting the foot alight, I was treated to an intensely sweet and spicy burst of flavor. This is a consistent feature of this cigar, it starts out with a flood of sweet-spice, and I consistently appreciate this characteristic.

It quickly settles into flavors of wood and smoky spice with some black licorice and pepper on the retrohale.

During the first half, the draw on this cigar was pretty stiff, certainly tighter than I prefer. The burn line was also blistered and ragged.

The second half of the cigar was disappointing. There were some bitter, charred notes that masked the more delicate flavors and tang that is typically present.

During the second half, the burn remained out of whack and the draw remained consistently too firm. I am beginning to think that I prefer these cigars fresh because aging has done little, if anything, to enhance the character in this smoke.

This is a medium-bodied and full-flavored smoke that has plenty of good flavors and nuances when young, but loses some of its vitality as it ages. I will revisit this smoke one more time in about 6 months.

~Doc