This cigar has Dominican fillers and a Mexican San Andres Wrapper. I have been on a bit of a Maduro kick lately, so I am excited to try this one out. Adventura says the cigars were aged for five years before rolling, and six months after rolling in climate controlled aging rooms before being boxed and shipped.

The cigar is veiny and dark, with a weird, almost sloppy cap. I wonder if that is common or if I just got a bad example. I will lean to the latter. Doesn’t matter much, because it will get cut in a few seconds. I like the look of the shiny blue band. Paired with a Nespresso brewed beverage this morning.

The first few draws are cocoa and some sweetness, as expected. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, and that is a good thing. The cigar does not seem quite strong enough to keep up with the espresso this morning, so I need to pull up on drinking. I am a little surprised about that, given the wrapper.

After letting my palate rest from the coffee for a bit, the cocoa flavors from San Andres wrapper are more pronounced. Some sort of plum or fruit sweetness shows up upon chewing the smoke a bit. The retrohale exhibits only a light pepper, but mostly a reinforcement of the primary flavors. The aging of the cigar seems to be noticeable as well. The ash is rather loose and flaky, which is unfortunate.

Well blended cigar that begins to shine in the middle third. More of the natural tobacco notes come through along with the sweetness from earlier. This is not a significant transition, but more of a continuation of enjoyable flavors.

However, the final third moves almost completely into a natural, woody profile. It almost reminds me of a pipe tobacco aroma, which is enjoyable but quite different from the outset. Also, there is a bit of a mineral note to close out the cigar.

I only had this one for a few days before smoking it, and wonder how much things would have changed had I waited a few weeks. Frankly, I don’t think it would have been much different, but it does give me something to wonder about. So far, I like this cigar but it isn’t something that I will crave or want to buy in bunches. In the end, it has a good but not outstanding flavor and aroma, and less chocolatey than I would have expected. The strength and body were a solid medium. Well blended, easy draw and good smoke output, but with a flaky ash that was quite annoying at times.

I would rate this one at about a 7.25. A good, quality cigar but not one that distinguishes itself from the crowd.