Xikar HC Series Habano Colorado Grande
Matt and I reviewed this cigar awhile back, but in a different size. Xikar recently expanded the size of the cigar to the new Grande 6 x 60. Before you ask… Yes size sometimes does matter. You can take the same cigar blend, and the Churchill will be different from the Lancero or Robusto.
That is why I was happy when Jerry, Bob and David from Xikar offered to send me some samples of the new Grande size. I was curious to see if the size would effect the flavors of this line. I still have to review the HC Series Criollo and Connecticut in the new size, so stay tuned for that.
For more info on Xikar, and their HC Series cigars, check out their informative website. As always, I paired this cigar with water.
Wrapper: Habano Colorado
Binder: Esteli
Filler: Costa Rica, Jalapa Honduras
Size: Grande 6 x 60
Price: $9.50
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The dark wrapper looked nice, with an oily sheen and minimal veins. The smell coming off of the wrapper was sweet with mild spice. The foot had a mild barnyard-ish odor, which isn’t a bad thing. Overall the cigar was very firm and evenly packed. The draw was ever so slightly snug, but fell within my tolerances of being good. The pre-light draw was a sweet natural tobacco.
The ash held for about 1.5 inches, and the burn requires a few minor touch-up’s.
Flavor:
The first third had an easy woody flavor that diminished in strength as time went on. Through the nose, I was detecting a pepper that wasn’t too strong, but it did have a nice zing to it. The aftertaste was a smooth earthy natural tobacco.
During the second third, the overall flavor profile really seemed to come together and smooth out. The smoke volume increased quite a bit. A nice sweetness entered the flavor profile and at times it resembled mocha. Woodiness lingered in the background, and coffee notes would come and go. When passing through the nose, that easy pepper was still there. It had a nice kick to it that wasn’t over the top. Later it took on a sweet, almost cinnamony feel. The aftertaste became sweet and a bit creamy.
The last third had some differences when compared to the 2nd third. The overall flavor profile was dominated by mocha-ish flavors at times. On other draws there was a mixture of woody notes, coffee and pepper. Some draws had a creamy feel, others had a dry, crisp feel. The smoke coated the mouth and tongue with a sweet spice. Blowing smoke through the nose had that familiar sweet peppery spice as well.
Conclusion:
Let’s get this out of the way first… You haters may think I’m pandering to Xikar because I got these cigars for free. While Xikar has been good to me for a long time, they know I only give honest opinions. After all, that’s all this site is, a place to give my opinion on cigars. I’m pretty sure they would want nothing to do with me if I were to lie.
Obviously the Grande was similar to the smaller size Matt and I reviewed last year. There were some subtle differences though (you’ll have to watch the other review to compare). The Grande seemed to have more of a ramp up period, if that makes sense.
What it boils down to is if you like cigars in this ring gauge. I thought it was a damn good upper medium to full bodied smoke. The flavors were good, and there was no harshness or anything bad. This slow burner is worth a try, and I give it a thumbs up. Thanks again to Jerry, David and everyone from Xikar for sending these cigars out to me!
