Xikar HC Series Connecticut Grande
Wednesday, December 15th, 2010This is the last cigar in sampler pack that Xikar sent to me. They wanted my opinion on their new Grande size HC cigars, and I accepted the offer. I appreciate them giving me the chance to review these cigars. The blend is has not changed. The only difference is the size. Will the new large 6×60 taste different then the Robusto? Read on and see. As always, I paired this review with a glass of water.
Wrapper: Connecticut shade – Ecuador
Binder: Sumatra
Filler: Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua
Size: Grande 6 x 60
Price: $9.50
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The wrapper had soft, smooth, look to it. At the same time, it had a toothy component as well. The wrapper had an earthy barnyard odor. The foot shared that same smell, but had a spicy component. The cigar was evenly and solidly packed. The pre-light draw had slight resistance, and a smooth earthy and slightly sweet flavor.
The burn was a little crazy for the first half, and required quite a few significant corrections. This isn’t a common characteristic of this cigar. It just happened during the cigar I chose to review. Call it Murphy’s law. This is a hand made product, and these things can happen to any cigar. The ash held for almost two inches.
Flavor:
The flavor in the first third was pretty simple and straight forward. There was an dominant earthiness with woody notes hiding in the background. The smoke feel left a slight coating in the mouth, but it was dry as well. I found myself drinking a lot of water. When passing smoke through the nose, there was a nice peppery spice. While it had a slight zing, it was still fairly mild and easy.
The second third held that core earthy flavor, but it took on a creamy, buttery component. The dryness went away and I stopped feeling parched. The pepper remained and developed a little more zing that separated it from most Connecticut wrapped cigars. Eventually I started to pick up notes of nuttiness, and it mixed well in the flavor profile. Everything really came together in this third.
The last third continued where the second third left off. A rich melding of nutty, buttery, and earthy flavors dominated the flavor profile. Like before, the smoke was creamy and coated the mouth and lips. The pepper kept it’s zing, but it smoothed out quite a bit. It was a pleasant, easy relaxing experience. Very nice…
Conclusion:
This was a very good medium to upper medium bodied cigar. It may have even crept into the full range. While it shared a lot of typical Connecticut flavors, there was something about it that separates it from the pack. I could easily smoke this in the morning with coffee, or in the afternoon after a meal. It is pretty versatile and could fit the bill at almost any time of the day. Thanks again to the guys at Xikar for letting me try these cigars!
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