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Initial Smoke

Faintly spicy and savory, a seafood herb salt mixture fills the first few draws with an intriguing flavor. This is soon overshadowed by that sweet brown sugar note, which is backed by buttered toast and a pleasant bitterness. Retrohales are cedar-heavy, and the smoke is quite oily, with a medium amount of body building behind it all.

1st Half

Heavier on the cinnamon, which does indeed contain some spiciness, the blend rolls out a blanket of butter woven between strands of brown sugar, roasted cashew halves, sappy cedar, and that peppery finish. It isn't the most original or complex cigar flavor profile, but it's well-done and devoid of sharpness or confusion, and I like that in a first third.

With that open draw unloading more than enough smoke flow, the shift toward a nuttier, sun-grown habano profile begins to take place. But it's a gradual shift, and therefore allows the spicier, cedar-strong flavors to sink into the caramelized sugars, leaving behind a taste of almond pudding. This results in a creamy, mellow cigar flavor profile up front, and a roasty, spicier finish toward the end. 

2nd Half

There isn't much to be found in the form of transitions for much of the center of the barrel on this blend, and both body and strength remain consistently medium throughout. In my opinion, this isn't a bad thing, as it allows you to focus on everything listed above for a bit longer, all of which I find to be very appetizing. The burn deserves a big thumbs up, with a gorgeous, lengthier ash keeping the cone properly insulated. 

It isn't until the start of the final third that another transition takes place, and even then, it is more of an addition to what is being detected than a brand new set of flavors and aromatics. Those nutty flavors have received a bit of roast, and the almond pudding tastes have turned even milkier. Roasty spice notes shine in this section, with a lengthy finish via retrohale providing some extra cedar and a pleasant spiciness that hangs around for quite a while. The cigar is creamier and slightly fuller, with a stronger habano taste evolving into a savory taste that reminds me of grilled pork with herb salt. All together, a very nice final third that does not miss a beat.

Parting Puffs

As the roasted nut tastes increase, those creamy, spicy retrohales keep the nasal cavity stimulated by all of the creamy smoke in the air. There's still some brown sugar sweetness and butter, but the pudding notes have disappeared, leaving room for the habano wrapper to take over. Bitterness and sharpness are nowhere to be seen, and so smoking all the way down to the nub is definitely an option. Very nicely done...

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Although I had some major issues with my first attempt at smoking this cigar, this second swing was a real knockout. Outside of some waves in the burn line and a random ash drop in places, the performance side was more than satisfactory. Even with that overly open draw, the cigar didn't seem to heat up a lot, and the texture of all that smoke was marvelous and very much medium in body save for the very end, when things attempt to reach medium-full but ultimately fall short.

Final Thoughts

Esteban Carreras continues to be one of those criminally underrated Nicaraguan cigar manufacturers. Not only do they make some very unique tasting smokes, but their dedication to things like pigtail caps, unique feet, and unorthodox tobacco fermentation deserves more recognition. Even when it is something straightforward like this habano blend, the boutique brand goes above and beyond to make your smoking session memorable. 

I love the way this cigar looks, tastes, smells, and this time around, performed. It's that medium-habano mixture that takes sweet, savory, spicy, nutty, and cedar-filled flavors, and makes them even smoother and more memorable. Complexity doesn't always have to be transitional or extreme, and this blend proves this point. 

In fact, my only main issues with this cigar are its ash drops and the bands, which tend to be a challenge to remove and should be slid off when possible to avoid damaging the wrapper. Fans of a firmer draw may also find this smoke to be a bit much, as it only has one flow rate, and that is wide open.

Even then, I can foresee more people admiring this premium cigar blend than disliking it. Some additional humidor conditioning also tends to suit this stogie, so setting a few sticks aside for future puffing is definitely an option. Just beware that you will be tempted to spark another one up sooner than you think, because this cigar really is that solid and suits any number of beverage pairing options.

Overall Balance & Repeatability