Fantastic cigar that exceeded my expectations. Purchased due to the interesting description, that it was a Connecticut on the stronger side. Makes sense, considering its mostly Nicaraguan filler. What I didn’t expect was a cigar as complex as this one turned out to be… First third started off paradoxically very light, with super thin smoke texture. Aromatics of linen and subtle floral quality with a very slight cedar backbone. Not much mouth flavor developing, yet. 2nd third started off with a lot of nutmeg, and the texture of the smoke became creamier. Certainly an overall Graham Cracker quality. Then right at the half-way mark, this cigar went super Sayan on me. Turned into a Potpourri bomb (like the spiced kind). Intense spiced notes, namely clove, with a slight sourness to the mouth flavor that reflected the aroma to a degree, a flavor quality that I usually associate with the presence of sheer nicotine (sometimes in a bad way, with young tobacco, but not this case). Final third again another incredible transition. Became more traditional in flavors, reminiscent of the Barrel Aged Perdomo Connecticut. Caramel, butterscotch mouth flavors, more cedar in the aroma, yet some real spice developed in the retro hale. the back 6th of this cigar though is what kind of blew my mind, as the burn started to suggest to me that it was going to taper out (as they tend to do when the humidity takes over towards the end) it started to burn and draw flawlessly and presented intense mouth flavors of yeasty pizza dough, bell pepper, anise seed, and glazed doughnut with incredible spice in the retro hale. Not to go on too much of a tangent here but I love Connecticut’s most, I believe they often present with the most nuance and there are plenty that are “strong” and satisfying. The notion that they are exclusively beginner cigars is odd to me, as that could be said about Claros generally, or more accurately in my mind, Habano’s. Certainly, this cigar is not as strong as a Dunbarton Meat Lover (let alone a Fuente Don Carlos 18 year) yet it stacked up to any other cigar in terms of flavor, strength, and satisfaction. As far as Connecticut’s go, I rate this one a 94.
