Cabaiguan Guapo Junior 21 (FRCSW5)

[bishop532]

The Cabaiguan Guapo (handsome, if my Spanish hasn’t rusted too much) Junior is a Petit Corona from Nicaragua. At 4 5/8 x 42, I’m pretty sure this is the smallest size in the lineup for this blend, and my personal favorite. The wrapper is Colorado with a touch of milk chocolate. There’s a small pigtail at the top of the triple cap. The aroma from the foot is baking bread, cream, and a hint of leather. The cold draw is sweet - some kind of candy or maybe just straight sugar. 

The first third kicks off in a pretty nondescript way, with leather, spice, and black coffee. I do not get the typical tatuaje/Pepin black pepper. The first retrohale is all bread dough, and that note joins the main chorus afterwards, creating a much more interesting flavor combination. Before the end of the first third I also taste honey and earth. 

The second third is fresh baked bread (my favorite thing about this blend), caramel, cream, and a touch of honey. The retro is cedar, floral, and spice. Construction is dead on - burning nice and slow, the char line is good, the ash holds tight, and there is plenty of smoke production. 

In the last third, I pick out notes of caramel, cinnamon, floral, baking spice, pepper, and espresso. The complexity is incredible for such a short cigar. The retro is pepper, coffee, and earth. The construction stays perfect til I nub it with probably less than half an inch left. It never got too hot as it approached the end, which I would say speaks to the skill of the torcedor. 

This is my favorite blend that Pete Johnson and Pepin Garcia offer - together or separate, I don’t think they’ve done anything better. And this vitola really does a great job of exhibiting how flavorful it is. 

Total Smoking Time: 56 minutes

Score: 93/100