TX Duo Review - SCdH El Principe BRM Oct 22

[Çnote]

Is this my favorite CC? My acquisition history certainly says it is...and it's the only CC where I can even remember having more than one box open and enjoying both equally if perhaps for different reasons.

The first puff is molasses ginger bread with toasted tobacco. It's immediate and visceral. Savory and sweet, absolutely wonderful. Velvet smoke, very smooth and easy to retro, some tones of sour cream, clove, nutmeg, and a dusting of bitter cocoa. Extremely hard to slow down. Chai tea. Reeds in a marsh. Woodwinds. Treacle. Panatone. Scones and cream. Traces of bitter espresso, candied grapefruit zest. sweet baking spices. Just little pops of flavor that I can assign words to.

This example has been stellar, but unfortunately gets bitter and unbearably sour with about an 3/4in to go. My instinct to push forward is rewarded with a sweet tarry nub with lip tingly spice and a very Dominican vibe, overlayed with the CC citrus twang that eventually burns my fingertips.

I'll give this a 89. Great little cigar with the flavors I like in spades. Probably the best youngest example I've had, stock from 17-18 didn't smoke this well at the same age as I recall. To me these are great at about 5 years, patience is a virtue.

@Capn_Jackson, thoughts?

[Habanoschris]

Nice review👌 - I've had some that gave toasted marshmallow & citrus very interesting.

[Capn_Jackson]

Not sure of the code, but I think @Çnote said this is from around 2023. Going in a little blind (which is kinda the point) with this, as the only SC I’ve had are La Punta, but I’ve heard those are fairly different from the rest of the Marca. 

Cheers!

Opening has faint notes of peanut butter and graham crackers, but as things get rolling there is a lot of fruity jam here. A little bit of mineral, too, just a faint trace of salt or saline, that only lasts a few minutes. Cream, cream, cream and coffee coming through on top of the spiced fruits. Coming across a bit like a fresh Allones stick, actually. Fairly tight draw, but plenty of smoke flowing, and such a creamy texture.

Heading toward the middle, things get a lot more Christmas-y. Some bread notes, a bit of holiday bread similar to the La Punta, but not so much spiced fruits here. Some citrus does show its face after the midpoint, and some agave-sweetened tea. Strength this whole time has remained under medium, and the finish starts to gain some wonderful maple notes.

The last inch or so (does a minuto have “thirds”?) has more maple than before, and some excellent 'fig-y' qualities, or sort of pumpernickel toast with raisin baked in. A tiny bit of leather as I get closer to the nub, and some spiced rum cake. Great little smoke!

An hour and fifteen minutes of excellent flavor. Guess I’ll add this to my minuto/petit corona list.