Esteban Carreras – Connecticut
Thursday, July 15th, 2010I picked up this cigar at Ed’s shop awhile back. It looked like it may be a decent milder cigar, which I’m always keeping an eye out for. For the sake of this review, I smoked this cigar with water, and offer you my thoughts.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut – Aged 7 years
Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Dominican
Size: Robusto 5 x 50
Price: Around $6.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The wrapper had very few flaws, with small to medium sized veins and a slight toothy appearance. I could only get natural tobacco odors when sniffing the foot and wrapper. The draw had slight resistance, with an earthy tobacco taste. When squeezed, I found that the cigar was softer towards the foot, and firmly packed towards the head.
The burn was wavy at first, but straightened itself out without my help The ash held for around an inch.
Flavor:
The first third started off with mild earthy flavors. It took awhile, but the smoke started to take on a slight creamy feel. All the while, I was left with a parched feeling and craved water. An addition of woody notes helped keep things interesting.
The second third had minimal change. The smoke feel became a little less creamy, but the core flavors remained the same – Earthy, woody, and perhaps a nutty note here and there. A slight peppery spice came in but only noticed when exhaling through the nose.
For the last third, the earthiness fell into the background. A creamy woodiness was dominant, with a spicy finish. When exhaled through the nose, the mild pepper remained. As the cigar came to an end, the smoke feel became more crisp and toasty.
Conclusion:
This was a good mild to medium bodied cigar. It pretty much lived up to what I expected. It is really nice in the morning with coffee. If you are in to Connecticut wrapped cigars, or are looking for a good morning smoke, this may be for you.
