1998 El Rey Del Mundo Lonsdale (DERW)

[maverickdrinker]

 

 

The wrapper is a light honey chestnut hue. Smooth to the touch with minimal veins. The construction is decent. A little too firm for my liking but that may be a result of the box press. The triple cap looks good and the foot is packed. Aromas of candied ginger, mocha, earth and leather emanate from the wrapper.

 

A quick twist from my Siglo multi punch and we are ready for action. The draw is nice. Good air flow with a slight resistance. Citrus, ginger, leather and earth come from the cold draw.

 

First Third

Very subtle start. Strength is at the lower end of medium bodied. Citrus and floral notes, accented with cinnamon and light oak start us on our journey.

 

The retrohale brings citrus, cinnamon, light oak and lavender as they live through the nasal passages. Just lovely.

 

The after finish begins with citrus, cinnamon and light oak that ebbs into lavender, earth and leather. Nice complexity but could use a boost in strength. Staying power is a little lacking due to the lack of strength. Would like to see the flavours linger more on the palate. Hopefully, the strength will improve in the second third.

 

Second Third

The cocoa and citrus are really singing in harmony. They combine with light oak, earth and leather to move seamlessly through the nasal passages.

 

The after finish sees the cocoa, light oak and citrus leading the way and evolves to lavender, leather, earth cinnamon and ginger. Just wonderful. Strength level has picked up, adding further complexity and lasting power on the palate. Everything is firing on all cylinders. Man, this is good...

 

Final Third

Getting heavier now. Cocoa and light oak start to pick up the pace and are neck in neck with citrus as it moves through the nasal passages.

 

The after finish has some heft to it with the cocoa and light oak loving up the flavour hierarchy. Intermingles with citrus and cinnamon to form a delicious core. Accents of leather, earth and ginger snaps complete the profile. Lush and vibrant on the palate with lasting power from the medium bodied strength level. A beautiful ending.

 

Final Impressions

This is just hitting all the right areas. A core flavour profile true to the marca. Excellent balance between strength and flavour, with room to continue to improve over time.

 

It is unfortunate that Habanos SA have decided to conduct significant vitola cuts to this marca. If you have any of the long and skinnies/thinner ring gauge vitolas, treasure them as they are excellent. If you don’t like them, get in touch with me. . A+

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk