Especiales, 6.875" x 48 ring gauge, approx. $9.50After smoking and reviewing 3 other cigrs in the DL line (as well as 3 in the regular Ligero line) this month, what else is there to say about these cigars? Unfortunately, this was an example of the axiom "cigars are a hand-rolled product and flaws can happen." I guess it wouldn't be fair to give every cigar from LFD a great rating (well, except I already severely dissed the El Museo a couple weeks ago). This was probably the most frustrating smoke of the month and the second most disappointing (I'm looking at you, El Museo, when I say that!). Before going further, let me add that this is not the only DL-Especiales I've ever had and it was definitely the exception to the rule when it comes to construction and overall smoking experience.
The wrapper on this cigar is an oscuro that is nearly black in places; where it isn't black, it is still very dark. The aroma is leather and barnyard from the wrapper, while the foot has more chocolate to it (no big surprise there if you've been paying attention this month). The wrapper is oily and topped off with a twisted pigtail that is surprisingly tight. When I pinched up and down the cigar, I found a soft spot about halfway up the length...this ended up being this stick's undoing.
Prelight draw was sweet and chocolately with a hint of spice on the draw and a lingering tingle on the lips. Airflow through the cigar was just about perfect. The first few puffs had plenty of wood and black pepper. I sipped some Russell's Reserve Bourbon with the cigar; it, too, gave a pleasant taste of wood with a spicy tingle. Together the cigar and whiskey presented cedar and oak with plenty of burn in the mouth and throat. Both also had just the right amount of sweetness. The retrohale of the Especiales was pretty potent, strong and spicy right up front. The cigar started right off as a full-bodied smoke, with no need for the body to ramp up. Before the first third ended, much of the pepper spice dissipated, leaving a predominant flavor of strong black coffee, along with a touch of cedar and cocoa. The burn also had to be touched up twice in the first third, pointing to what ended up being an ongoing struggle. There were also a couple times when the cigar just did not seem to draw much smoke--then it would suddenly chug along like a smoke stack again.
After tapping ash at the start of the second third, there was a hollow in the center of the stick that threatened to extinguish it completely. I relit the unburned wrapper and the cigar produced a good amount of smoke until the next time I tapped ash, at which point it unceremoniously went out. So far, this was turning out to have the worst construction of any cigar I had reviewed for LFD month and possibly the worst construction I have ever had on DL cigar. After relighting and purging, I could see that the problem, once again, was a huge void in the center of the stick--that soft spot I had detected earlier was bigger than it seemed at first!
The last third continued the poor construction with a bad canoe and ash that flaked off all over my shift. The flavors were mostly wood and coffee, but it got hard to enjoy with the constant struggle to keep the thing lit and burning right. In the end, the nicotine strength got so strong that I couldn't finish the stick. I am not sure if that had to do with the burn issues (puffing frequently and heavily, relighting, etc.) or the relatively light dinner I had, or both, but it was surprising as I have not been overwhelmed by an Especiales before. Overall, this was a disappointing end to a frustrating experience, but one that probably should not be seen as typical for these sticks.
Body: 9/10
Strength: 10/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 0/2
Flavor: 3/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 5.5/10
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