Don Kiki Limited Reserve (Green Label)
Saturday, September 26th, 2009Today’s review was given to me awhile ago by my pal Ed over at St.Pete Pipe & Cigars. I think he eventually opted to not carry this line, although I could be wrong. Being a beta tester for a cigar shop is a great gig. Every now and then Ed brings me into the fold to help out. I grabbed my usual cup of water and pounded out this review of the Don Kiki Green label.
Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Size: 6 x 48
Price: Bundle of 25 – $43.00
Pre-smoke & Construction:
As I inspected the wrapper, I found it looked great with small veins. There were a few soft spots, and the wrapper had a smell of wood and hay. The foot had a similar smell, with an addition of pepper and earth. The pre-light draw was perfect, with a simple taste of wood and earth. I did no burn corrections, and the ash held for an inch before tapping into the ashtray. Great construction.
Flavor:
The first third took a little while to get started. After about an inch, I detected woody flavors. Behind that were very slight sweet notes. There were hay-ish earthy flavors mixed in as well. Very mild, simple, and smooth. My only complaint was the smoke and overall flavor profile seemed thin.
The second third filled out a little bit. The woodiness increased slightly in body and strength. The sweet notes became thicker and took on a mild caramel feel and flavor. The smoke feel became creamy. Earthy flavors were there, but they would fade and come back.
The last third was the most satisfying. The earthy and woody flavors were dominant. The smoke took on a more creamy feel and was a little toasty. The mild flavor of caramel would come and go. Every now and then I’d get a mild fruity taste.
Conclusion:
This was a decent mild bodied cigar. The flavor profile was nice, but overall it felt thin and unrefined. If I factor in the price of under $2.00 a stick, I can’t complain. I could see myself smoking this in the morning with coffee. This isn’t a bad value smoke.
