CRQuarto
Brrraaaiiinnnsss.....
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2009
- Messages
- 1,850
San Cristobal Seleccion Del Sol
Size: 5" x 52 rg Robusto
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium
I'm a big fan of the San Cristobal line from Ashton, which is unsurprising as I enjoy most of the cigars rolled by Pepin. When I received this cigar from Dave (4cbln3), I was very excited as I had read that quite a number of people felt this cigar was one of the big hits of this years ICPR convention, and so it was with great difficulty I let it rest for a few weeks before firing it up for a review. A huge thanks goes out to Dave for the opportunity to try out a new cigar, especially one that is an addition to a line I already very much enjoy!
Pre-Light
I could immediately see the difference in wrapper on this cigar compared to the original line, as the appearance was different in every aspect. The rough, vein covered wrapper was a light tan color and had on it that wonderful scent of cedar we all love so much. The foot was perfectly bunched, coupled with a head that featured a large, Cuban style triple cap in typical Pepin fashion. The squeeze test revealed no hard or soft spots to speak of, only a good solid construction with a very slight spring to it.
Draw & Burn
The draw was spot on once the head was cut, although I did cut it a bit shallow by mistake. The burn was sideways throughout the length, requiring a touch up every ten minutes or so, but did not require relights nor did the cigar go out. The burn issue could perhaps be attributed to the cold, dry breeze that was blowing outside, the humidity was very low today. The ash was solid, but had small slivers that flaked off, and was a nice light gray in appearance.
Flavor Profile
The pre-light draw had a nice woodiness mingled with light tobacco, and the wrapper left a saltiness on the lips. Once lit, I detected tastes of cedar, mild tobacco, and a light bread flavor. There was a good spiciness in the nose, and the finish clean with only a brief, but good, tobacco taste. The cigar did taste a bit young throughout the duration of the smoke, perhaps a few months of downtime would bring out more flavors in the smoke, and smooth it out a bit.
Overall Impression
This cigar started off very good, but once it settled in I could tell it was young and needed more downtime. This is not to say it was a bad cigar, but it didn't wow me as much as I had wished it would. I will definitely pick up more of these and revisit them after a long rest, as for now I think perhaps that the flavors aren't melding well. I'll smoke another one soon to see if perhaps I got a dud, and hopefully that is the case as I would love to enjoy these now rather than later!
Size: 5" x 52 rg Robusto
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium
I'm a big fan of the San Cristobal line from Ashton, which is unsurprising as I enjoy most of the cigars rolled by Pepin. When I received this cigar from Dave (4cbln3), I was very excited as I had read that quite a number of people felt this cigar was one of the big hits of this years ICPR convention, and so it was with great difficulty I let it rest for a few weeks before firing it up for a review. A huge thanks goes out to Dave for the opportunity to try out a new cigar, especially one that is an addition to a line I already very much enjoy!
Pre-Light
I could immediately see the difference in wrapper on this cigar compared to the original line, as the appearance was different in every aspect. The rough, vein covered wrapper was a light tan color and had on it that wonderful scent of cedar we all love so much. The foot was perfectly bunched, coupled with a head that featured a large, Cuban style triple cap in typical Pepin fashion. The squeeze test revealed no hard or soft spots to speak of, only a good solid construction with a very slight spring to it.
Draw & Burn
The draw was spot on once the head was cut, although I did cut it a bit shallow by mistake. The burn was sideways throughout the length, requiring a touch up every ten minutes or so, but did not require relights nor did the cigar go out. The burn issue could perhaps be attributed to the cold, dry breeze that was blowing outside, the humidity was very low today. The ash was solid, but had small slivers that flaked off, and was a nice light gray in appearance.
Flavor Profile
The pre-light draw had a nice woodiness mingled with light tobacco, and the wrapper left a saltiness on the lips. Once lit, I detected tastes of cedar, mild tobacco, and a light bread flavor. There was a good spiciness in the nose, and the finish clean with only a brief, but good, tobacco taste. The cigar did taste a bit young throughout the duration of the smoke, perhaps a few months of downtime would bring out more flavors in the smoke, and smooth it out a bit.
Overall Impression
This cigar started off very good, but once it settled in I could tell it was young and needed more downtime. This is not to say it was a bad cigar, but it didn't wow me as much as I had wished it would. I will definitely pick up more of these and revisit them after a long rest, as for now I think perhaps that the flavors aren't melding well. I'll smoke another one soon to see if perhaps I got a dud, and hopefully that is the case as I would love to enjoy these now rather than later!
Another excellent review!
