Robusto, 5.5" x 54 ring gauge, $8
All the important background for this cigar can be found in Tuesday's review of the Rosado variety. The important thing I want to emphasize here again is how close in color the two varieties are. When Nestor Miranda's Special Selection came out last year, it was very easy to tell the difference between Rosado and Oscuro versions; not so with the Dominicano. This is either the lightest Oscuro wrapper I have ever seen, or the darkest Rosado. Either way, it is hard to tell the difference. My tobacconist puts labels on each stick so I can pluck them out of the box, check the label and tell. Without that assistance, you will have a hard time telling them apart, especially if someone picks up a Rosado and replaces it into the Oscuro box, or vice versa. As with the Rosado stick, this Oscuro Dominicano has Nicaraguan filler and binder, along with a Dominican wrapper leaf.
From the start I see a family resemblance between the Rosado and this Oscuro: both have the same ugly scar-like veins. The Oscuro had a little more oily sheen to it and felt fairly well-packed except near the foot. The aroma from the body was sweet tobacco and barnyard; from the foot I got rich chocolate and some compost; very similar to the Rosado overall but the wrapper aroma was stronger here. The prelight draw was easy and had flavors of cocoa powder and hay, both fairly muted.
After lighting, initial puffs were heavy with wood notes--cedar mostly, but also something else. There was just a tiny bit of spice on the tongue and a lot more on the retrohale. The first third was heavy on the cedar and black pepper--quite a departure from the Rosado and emphasizing the role wrapper tobacco plays in overall flavor. Whereas the Rosado came close to boring me in the first third, this one had much more up-front flavors and progressed quickly to a medium-to-full body. The burn line was nice and even but the ash was somewhat flaky, continually contaminating my lap or whatever I had in it--kind of annoying!
The cedar toned down in the second third and was replaced by an earthiness that sometimes verged on muddiness. The spice abated a bit, too, but was still felt when blowing the smoke out through the nose.
The earthiness continued through the last segment and was joined by hints of black coffee and a little anise on the finish. The body was definitely a tick up from the Rosado--not a full-fledged full-bodied smoke, but close. Overall, I like this one marginally better than the Rosado as it started with more flavor; but while the Rosado kept getting more interesting as it went on, the Oscuro seemed to do the opposite--I just was not as thrilled about the way it ended up. Your mileage may vary, but I can definitely recommend putting this one--alongside the Rosado--on your "to try" list. Two very good cigars for a reasonable amount of money. Try one, try them both...leave a comment and tell me what you think.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
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