Underrated by Luciano (CACMay24)

[JoeyBones777]

This cigar is described by the company as "sweet and rich" which is what attracted me to try it. The price point at $8 for a CG was nice as well.

Draw and burn are good. Flavors start out slightly sweet, nutty with hints of cocoa. The ash barely held on an inch before dropping. First third is low end sweet and not rich. It is amazing to me what NC companies will call sweet. I guess I got spoiled with my CC experiences but, to add to the confusion, they call this rich. I'm not sure they no the definitions of these words...or maybe it'll pick up.

Second third is more of the same flavorwise and ashwise. The ash dropped after 3/4 of an inch. Neither sweet or rich. I think they meant to name it Underwhelming. Don't get me wrong, there is sweetness there but not near enough to describe it as a sweet cigar. It is not distinct in its profile. The flavor is fairly mild and the finish is short. That is not rich.

Final third and I have had to adjust my expectations and just let the cigar speak for itself instead of boxing it in by its description. There is a decent sweetness but not nearly as much as I enjoy. Flavors are medium at best and I am being very generous. Notes of cocoa, slight nuts, cedar and baking spices. Toward the end it picks up a gritty earthiness that grips the back of one's palate. Finish is a little longer but still somewhat short with a decent berry sweetness. It held its longest ash at about 1 inch.

I was starting to think maybe this cigar is just victim to its marketing but the reality is that it just isn't a very good cigar for my palate. The final 3rd was the most flavorful or "rich" but the gritty earthiness takes away from the other more delicate and more enjoyable flavors. If I'm being generous it's an 84. If I based it on their description, it's an 80. In a similar price range, the 2012 Connecticut toro by Oscar Valladares blows this out of the water and I would describe it as both sweet and rich.