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Background: I've smoked NCs on and off for decades. I think approx. 85% of those I have tried weren't very good. With a few exceptions, even the ones that are good, aren't that good (I'm looking at you Padron!). So when Rob & team started flouting their NC cigars that could compare and compete with CCs, I concluded right away that they were full of sh*t. After all, Rob is a salesman (a good one), and salesmen will tell you anything to get you out the door with their product. "Step right up! We've got this one ligament for all your ailments! We've got a car that will drive itself! We've got NC cigars that are better than anything you've had! Steeeeeyp right up!" As a result of all of that, I had been planning to skip these releases altogether. However @HoyoFan arranged a split of a bundle of the petite corona and so I ended up with a 5-pack. Pre-light: No band. Evenly packed. Deep chocolate color. Smells of slight barnyard with a big chocolate note and a definite mustiness reminiscent of aged tobacco. The cold draw has no issues. First Third: Cigar opens under-medium. The chocolate note is at the front and is delicious. A secondary note of fresh ground coffee -- not the drink itself, but the smell you get after grinding beans. A great combination! The retrohale is mostly smooth and enhances the experience. A tiny bit of pepper at the very end of the retro. Underneath the coffee and chocolate notes is a core flavor that I couldn't place while I was smoking. Later when I was reading more about the cigar, I saw the phrase "burnt edge of a cookie." That is exactly it! It was like smoking well-done cookies. Amazing, I've never experienced anything like that in a cigar. Second Third: Fantastic smoke output. It is so satisfying when the smoke pours out this heavily. At this point the chocolate has faded and the core flavor is that of cappuccino cream (actual coffee, the drink, flavor this time) with just a hint of those cookies. There is also some amount of fruit notes popping up in the background. I can't place what fruit this might be. Final Third: The cigar is a solid medium at this point. The creaminess has faded. The coffee flavor persists and a deep caramel flavor joins. At the 3/4 inch point it got hot and I put it down. Burn and draw were perfect for the entire duration. Overall Thoughts & Rating: This is a fantastic cigar. It is catapulted to the top 5% of NCs that I have smoked (that's my rating based on a single cigar). It reminded me a lot of a AB Tempus Corona Natural at its core (a cigar that I enjoy), but with heaps of extra flavor and grace piled on. Kudos to the entire team and tasting panel on this. I officially apologize for assuming you were all full of sh*t. After smoking this cigar, I am left scratching my head and a little angry. If it has always been possible to produce cigars with this much flavor and class from NC tobacco, WHY HASN'T ANYONE ELSE BEEN DOING IT OVER THE PAST 60 YEARS!?!?!? 😡