RYJ De Luxe 2013 LE AUM DIC13

[skalls]

Interesting cigar, but aside from a couple brief glimpses throughout the cigar it doesn't really feel like a RYJ.  This was the 5th I've had out of the box and my plans to finish the box by having 2 a year (July 4th and my Phoenix trip to escape the arctic weather Fargo gets in January).  This was also the worst performing one I've had to date, the burn was a bit wonky.

Pre-Light:

Very firmly packed, dare I say potentially overfilled.  Smells lovely.  Wrapper has a good bit of oil in it and feels very smooth in the hand.  After snipping the cap (use a Cuban Crafters perfect cutter) and the firm is indeed firm, but not as firm as I'd thought after feeling the cigar.  The flavors I'm getting are a cocoa, hay and a hint of cherries.

1st Third:

The first couple draws weren't giving much smoke but what I was getting was very flavorful.  Cherries were out in the forefront with a wonderfully rich dark chocolate.  Unfortunately the cherries went away within the first 6 puffs of the cigar.  Those were replaced with some nice leather notes though.  First third lasted just 35 minutes.  Was medium-full bodied.

2nd Third:

Minor transition here.  The dark chocolate notes were still present but they lessened in intensity and the leather notes came to the forefront.  The body came down to a medium.  There was also hints of cream and peanuts sprinkled in.  About halfway through this section the cherry notes reappeared but again, weren't here to stay.  When they were present with the cream this was truly an amazing flavor combination.  Second third lasted about 25 minutes.  I felt a knot in the cigar just under the LE band and had been rolling it gently hoping to undo that.  Smoke output increased by a good margin which was great because I'm enjoying the flavors.  Did require a minor touch-up here.

Final Third:

Again, nothing major changed here.  Body did go back up to a medium full.  The dark chocolate reasserted itself here.  The leather notes receded but were still there.  The cherry notes were fleeting.  They appeared more frequently here but disappeared much more quickly than in the first or second third.  No traces of cream or peanuts.  Smoke output was exactly where i wanted it.  Perfect burn here too.  Last third lasted 20 minutes.

Final Thoughts:

Most of the time I just thought this wasn't an RYJ.  It reminded me more of a Montecristo than an RYJ.  But man, when those cherry notes were present it was a stunning cigar.  Had they been their throughout the cigar, it'd very easily a 95-96 cigar and a classic.  Burn time was great adding to the value of the cigar.  But in the end they were just to fleeting.  It was merely a good cigar with a fancy second band and confusing brand placement.  My score 90.

[JohnS]

Thanks for your great review. It supports the view that recent Limited Editions have been 'chocolate-y' and they require time to settle. No doubt the wrapper was on the 'darker' side too (in regards to shade)?

[skalls]

7 hours ago, JohnS said:

Thanks for your great review. It supports the view that recent Limited Editions have been 'chocolate-y' and they require time to settle. No doubt the wrapper was on the 'darker' side too (in regards to shade)?

I took a picture but as it was dark the flash went off and it doesn't do it justice.  The wrapper is very dark with a slight reddish hue to it. 

[sactochris]

I love the box I got. I've got two left. If I could afford it I would go deep on these. One of my favorite EL's.