Gran Habano–Habano #3
Monday, September 26th, 2011You know the story by now… I was walking around the local humidor looking for something to review. This is gradually getting more difficult. Look at the cigar review index, I’ve reviewed a shit load of cigars over the years.
I eventually ran across this somewhat value priced cigar, and figured why not. I paired up with water and took some notes.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaragua, Mexico, Costa Rica
Size: Robusto 5 x 52
Price: $3.61
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The wrapper had a couple medium sized veins and minimal flaws. The smell of the wrapper was mild cedar. and the foot was more of a sweet earthiness. The cigar was evenly and solidly packed. The pre-light draw had slight resistance, and had a cedary, earthy flavor.
The ash was a bit flakey and held for about an inch. The burn required no corrections.
Flavor:
The first third started off with sweet cedar. Through the nose I picked up a smooth peppery spice along with a tad of earthiness. An interesting and hard to describe flavor came about towards the end of this third. I’d almost call it leather, but I’m not certain.
The second third: It turns out that fruity flavor was more of a sweetness combined with leather. The cedar mixed with those flavors, and most of the time was dominant. When passing smoke through the nose, the woody, peppery spice increased in strength but wasn’t an ass kicker. The smoke feel became smooth with a lingering aftertaste.
The last third changed up a bit. The leather, wood, and cedar all became equal in strength. There was a significant increase in creamy sweetness. It stuck to the palate for a nice aftertaste. The spice pretty much remained the same as in the second third.
Conclusion:
This was a good medium bodied cigar that met it’s price point. I was expecting a completely one dimensional flavor profile. It changed up just enough to make this somewhat value cigar a pleasure to smoke. Some of you picky aficionado’s may find it lackluster, and I can understand that. But for the price, I say this is worth trying.