406 Cigars

Over at the Half Ashed forums we have a little “cigar pass” going on. Each person involved sends two unbanded cigars to another person in the “Blind Review Pass.” For the next few weeks I’ll be posting (with permission) those blind reviews. If you have never smoked a cigar blind, or unbanded, I would highly recommend it. Get some friends together and trade cigars with the bands removed, or have your wife take some bands off a few sticks in the bottom of your humidor. You’ll be surprised at how much a band can affect your perception of a cigar.

Today’s review is from Quikstryke.

Cigar- 4 7/8 by 50ish with a very dark chocolate wrapper..

Cold smell is very sweet with no spice.

Cold draw is sweet with a bit of hay note

Initial light is milk chocolate and then moves to a baker’s chocolate, which is very drying on the back of the tongue.

1st 1/2 – The dry chocolate continues but is coating my whole mouth. No spice on the retro but a vegital flavor is in the background.. Smoke output coukd be more. I had to do a few touchups to keep it even..

2nd 1/2 – Exactly the same as the first with a little spice thrown in, especially on retrohale. The spice is mild on the exhale but in the retro it kicks up some, along with the sweetness.

Final thoughts.. Very consistant stick flavor-wise. I like a little more transitions, but it was still good. With the dryness I was thinking Honduran, then the sweetness and vegetal flavors made me think Dominican.. I’d be really suprised if it was a Nicaraguan puro. Flavor and appearance-wise I was thinking Torano..

The Reveal
Nice review quick. You nailed a lot of aspects of that stick. It’s a CT broadleaf wrapper over Dominican binder and filler. The stick is the La Aurora 100 anos maduro edician especial, released in 2012.