Archive for the ‘lino’ Category

Don Lino 1989 Maduro

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Up for review today is the Don Lino 1989 Maduro. These come in a natural Connecticut wrapper as well, but I didn’t pick any up. I have little background info, other then the blend. Without wasting any more time, I offer you my thoughts on the Don Lino 1989 Maduro…

 

Wrapper: Maduro

Binder: Indonesian

Filler: Colombian, Mexican, Nicaraguan

Size: 5 x 50

Price: Around $6.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

The dark maduro wrapper looked good, with only a few bumps and veins here and there. The cigar was evenly packed and bounced back when squeezed. I detected a slight sweet earthiness when sniffing the wrapper and foot. The pre-light draw was loose, and had a sweet natural tobacco taste.

The ash held for under an inch, and I did several burn corrections.

1DonLino1989Maduro

Flavor:

The first few puffs were a simple earthy taste. It didn’t take long for nutty and coffee notes started to drown out the earthiness. A slight sweet spice was noticed when passing the smoke through the nose. The smoke feel was a bit dry but not annoying.

2DonLino1989Maduro

The coffee and nuttiness continued through the second third. Dry cocoa notes would appear from time to time. The smoke became creamy and very smooth. The sweet spice became more peppery as this third came to a close.

3DonLino1989Maduro

Cedary/woody notes lingered in the background during the last third. Like before, coffee and nutty flavors continued to dominate the flavor profile. Up next was an unidentified sweetness. The spice and pepper lost most of its punch but it let me know it was there. The smoke remained creamy and coated the inside of the mouth.

4DonLino1989Maduro

Conclusion:

This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. Overall I enjoyed the flavor profile and despite it not changing a lot, I didn’t get bored. My final verdict is that the Don Lino 1989 Maduro is worth trying, just don’t expect to be wowed.

Don Lino Africa Duma

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

The Don Lino Africa Duma… I have no useful information about it. I bought it, threw it into my “To be reviewed” humidor (this is where I keep cigars to be reviewed), and forgot about it. The blend looks interesting, so I grabbed the usual glass of water and smoked a couple Don Lino’s.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Cameroon, Dominican, Mexico, Nicaragua

Size: 5 x 50

Price: $6 to $7.00

 

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The cigar was evenly packed, and the wrapper had minimal veins or flaws. The smell of the wrapper and foot was a little hay-ish. The pre-light draw had a little resistance, and had a sweet grassy/earthy taste.

The burn required no corrections. The ash sometimes would hold for about an inch, but other times it would drop off without warning.

1DonLinoAfricaDuma

Flavor:

The first few puffs of the first third were sweet, smooth earth. It didn’t take long for other flavors to introduce themselves in the form of coffee and cocoa, and slight woody notes. These flavors pushed the earthiness way into the background. I picked up a slight sweet spice when exhaling through the nose.

2DonLinoAfricaDuma

Sweet, woody, coffee and cocoa flavors dominated the second third. Coffee and cocoa varied in intensity. Sometimes the other flavors would increase and decrease in strength at a random pace. The smoke feel became very smooth and somewhat creamy.

3DonLinoAfricaDuma

The last third had an increase in body, but remained in the upper medium range. A unique sweet flavor was introduced that I couldn’t put my finger on. It may have been a mixture of cocoa, coffee, and wood combined to create an interesting flavor. For the most part, mocha was the dominant flavor. The smoke feel remained smooth and slightly creamy.

4DonLinoAfricaDuma

Conclusion:

Overall I enjoyed this medium to upper medium bodied cigar. The flavor profile changed up enough to keep me from getting bored, and was overall pleasant. I would recommend this cigar and say give it a try.

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