Texas Duo!

[Çnote]

@Capn_Jackson

Today's special 

Espinosa Laranja Reserva Corona

Supposedly these are from the OG release 2015.

Big blast of mellowish peppery spice up front, fades into citrus and Graham crackers pretty quick, but still amped up spices, still peppery thru the 1st 3rd. Very NC, very punchy. 

At about 1/2, this drops off in the peppery spice and picks up more rich orange citrus and a nearly custard like texture but without the taste of creme.

Getting into the 3rd 3rd, the citrus morphs into a lemon and the flavor is nearly spot on tarte citron. Sweetish, but palate cleansing. Past the band, the citrus rounds up back to orange with the creamy texture holding strong. The nub stays true for a minute but gets overbearingly bitter before it gets to the finger burning stage.

Overall, this was very good after fighting thru the 1st inch or so. I was not looking forward to this, I haven't been a fan of Espinosa blends as they usually show alot of harsh pepper. I'm assuming 8-9 years of age tempered this down into something I'd like, and this is certainly going down on my theory that OG are better tobacco than subsequent releases.

Cap'n I leave this to you. Knowing your preference for JL, I think you'll love it.

[Capn_Jackson]

And now, my side of the story:

This is a somewhat plain but nice-looking stick. Slightly bumpy wrapper with a little tooth. On the pale end of peanut butter brown. Good pack with just a little bit of give, more firm under the label and towards the head.

I went with a V-cut on this one. The cold draw is very nice, with notes of honey, maybe some nutmeg, and barnyard. Light-up puff has a lot of pepper, but there is also some cream and wood, maybe a little dried fruit of some kind.

As the first third gets going, pepper is still right there on each puff, but not overpowering. Hiding right behind the pepper is a warm, woodsy or earthy note that I can’t quite distinguish at first. There is also some prune, and a slightly bitter citrus on the finish. Pepper fades pretty quickly, and doesn’t show much after ten minutes or so, leaving the prune and bitter citrus. Flitting along all of this, only every few puffs or so, is a sort of chocolate hazelnut pudding. Nutella, only not as thick.

The mouthfeel of this smoke is awesome. Very syrupy, coating the forward palate and the middle of the tongue with that bittersweet citrus. Eventually the chocolate fades away, leaving the hazelnuts but also making room for some sweet baking spices. The smoke output is glorious on this, but the ash is somewhat flaky, falling off in little snippets here and there. Strength all this time has hit me as low to medium, right about where I like it, but with full-bodied flavor, right in your face.

Approaching the second third, some coriander is starting to develop, very likely an evolution of the citrus notes from earlier. Still a heavy dose of prune, too. Around this point I stop retrohaling for just a moment to see what the palate-only puff brings me, and it’s a mix of roasted cashew and crusty toast. Less nutty and fruity on the finish, too. Nice, but not enough for me to stop the retro for long.

The second third transitions away from prune, and now we’re in Coriander Land. Not so much cashew here, but almond does jump into the mix. Some kind of dark sugar is starting to show too, either treacle or molasses. Around the midpoint of the cigar, there is a faint woodsy taste again, like some cedar building. The burn line has been slightly uneven since the second third started, and that continues, requiring several touchups.

Heading into the last act of this stick, cedar and coriander are still there, but the molasses-like dark sugar begins to coat everything with a nice wash. Some cocoa, too. There’s a sudden burst of medium-roast coffee and toasted graham right near the end. Somewhat reminds me of a Party 898 every few puffs or so, but with a halo of citrus on top. Right before the nub, things are a little muddled and very bitter, mostly dark molasses with hints of fruit but covered in a harsh finish. Kinda wish I had stopped a little bit sooner. 

Good smoke, and I thank Cody for bringing this to the plate for our duo review!

Due to some bitterness in the last third, very flaky ash and wonky burn line, this one sits at about an 86 for me.

[Çnote]

ARE WE SMOKING THE SAME CIGARS????

[Capn_Jackson]

No prune for you?

[Çnote]

2 minutes ago, Capn_Jackson said:

No prune for you?

No. No dried fruits. Tons of citrus and cracker / toast, but not really bread or cream or defined sweetness. Texturally, sweet.

At least this time we both got the pepper up front.

I thought this smoked like a textbook El Prez described JL, Cointreau and cake, but you didn't get anything like that....