I found this cigar in Costa Rica during one of my visits to the capital city of San Jose. I wanted a short cigar to smoke on my after dinner walks through the city. I didn’t have time for a longer smoke and at 5 inches in length and 42 ring gauge, this made for the perfect size for those early evening strolls through the capital.

This cigar sports a Costa Rican grown binder (Habano #91) and filler (Habanos #98, #235) and is typically medium to full flavored. The wrapper leaf is dark and sufficiently oily, with a medium vein structure. The wrapper leaf is not especially fine, it is mottled and inconsistent in parts, but I have always said that, if a cigar burns well and tastes sublime, I can overlook some shortcomings in appearance.

After clipping the rather small cap, I set this pint-sized Corona to light with my Blazer Pocket Torch. I am immediately greeted with a blast of sweet spice and a good dose of dark roasted coffee. The burn is slightly off and is a little stiff overall. As the cigar warms, I squeeze it and roll it in my fingers to see if I can loosen up the filler.

As I approach the halfway mark, flavors of earthy tobacco are added to the bittersweet chocolate and roasted coffee flavors. These lay long and heavy on my palate.

The body is medium-full pretty much all the way through. The combination of body and flavor sticks richly to my tongue and palate.

This is a tasty little smoke and I have no doubt I will purchase more of these in the future. This cigar would go great with a cup of coffee or a nice smoky Bourbon.

AGING POTENTIAL SCORE: C = this cigar may age beneficially for the first two years, but we recommend smoking within the first two years.

~Doc