BACKGROUND: The Di Fazio Picoso was first featured in Episode 196 of the Stogie Fresh 5 podcast, back on Sunday, November 22, 2009. These cigars have been sitting in my humidor for 1 year, 2 months and are ready for my second and final, postscript, review.

In 2008, the Di Fazio Cigars Corp. was born. The company the namesake of one Carmelo Di Fazio, a former television executive turned cigar producer.

Currently, there are three cigar lines in the Di Fazio portfolio: The Connecticut, the Maduro and the cigar I'm featuring today, the Picoso. All three cigar lines are produced in Honduras at the Raices Cubanas Factory.

Though the tobaccos for Di Fazio cigars come from Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, the Picoso, which is the most full-bodied of their lineup, is made with all Honduran tobacco.

The Picoso comes in 4 vitolas: a 7.5 x 50 ring Churchill, a 6.1 by 52 Torpedo, 5 x 60 Double Robusto and the vitola I am featuring today, the 5 inch by 50 ring gauge Robusto.

TASTING NOTES: The Picoso is nothing if not spicy. True to its name, which means spicy in Spanish, the Picoso, starts out with a spicy, sweet, cedary tang. This is a really unique flavor and it's hard to provide an accurate description, but the flavors are tangy and spicy with some aromatic cedar. There is also some pepper spice on the finish. But the best thing is that this cigar varies in flavor as you proceed through the smoke. The is a lot happening with the flavors that provide plenty of nuance, but remain difficult to pin down.

The performance of this cigar was also excellent with a smooth, easy draw and a straight burn line. The ash was firm and solid and held on until I decided to tap off.

FINAL THOUGHTS: An extra year of age has mellowed this cigar in the right places. I found this cigar to be medium in strength and body and full in flavor.

This cigar has a unique flavor profile because its spice is a combination between black pepper and paprika. The full effect is just great and I would recommend this cigar to anyone who likes spicy cigars with a flavor twist.

These cigars can be had for around $6.25 per stick, which is a fair price. The only question is, "Will you be piqued, by the Picoso."

~Doc