Prominente, 5.5" x 56 ring gauge, $9.70I had my first 601 less than a year ago--a Green Label if I am not mistaken--and I rated the Red Label as a perfect "10" last year as well. That leaves the Blue and Black Labels that I have not gotten to...so today I am getting to one of those. The Blue Label is the box press version of the 601s and it features all Nicaraguan tobaccos including a Habano Maduro wrapper. It is made by Don Pepin Garcia for Espinoza and Ortega in Esteli, Nicaragua.
I was hit by a wall of chocolatey aroma upon releasing this one from its cellophane. The wrapper definitely had that aroma, along with a little barnyard; the foot was very sweet and rich smelling. The wrapper was velvety-feeling and had a few prominent veins but nothing I felt worried about. It was medium-spongey to the feel--not too firm, not all that soft, either. The prelight draw was maybe a touch too loose; the flavors were amazing: chocolate, dried berries and raisins, and some peppery spice.
My initial puffs had a little spice and a lot of black coffee. It was quite smooth, with just a little edge--full-bodied and oily smoked billowed out right from the beginning. The first third had more coffee with hints of dark chocolate every 2 or 3 puffs. A nice peppery undertone permeated throughout. It was definitely o the full-bodied side: rich with lots of flavor, too.
The second third saw the 601 Blue still producing huge amounts of full-flavored, full-bodied smoke. There was a little leather joining in with the coffee and spice and the chocolate taste came less frequently. The burn line was very straight so far and the draw was not as loose as I initially feared.
The last third had more leather and a dryness to it. There was still quite a bit of coffee and a little spice. The body and strength ramped up almost to an extreme in the last third. The flavor was still good, but not as good as previously. The 601 Blue was a powerful, full-bodied cigar that kept a fantastic flavor profile until near the end when it just kind of...well, "creamed out." Not in the sense that it got weaker or milder, but just the flavor didn't keep it clarity and sharpness. It was not a bad smoke in any way, but I did find it just short of being perfect--almost a box-pressed version of the 601 Red, but not quite. A little too expensive to consider as a regular smoke, unfortunately.
Body: 9/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 9/10
0 comments:
Post a Comment