Robusto, 5" x 50 ring gauge / $16.50 (purchased at Burns)
When we left off, I had finished smoking Pete Johnson's "pet project" cigar and awarded it 10 out of 10 points. I had been skeptical of the hefty price tag, but found it to easily be worth the cash. When I talked with Pete last month he remarked that the price is "scary" to some, but after people see what he is trying to accomplish they will understand. What he is trying to accomplish is a true "vintage" cigar--all tobacco grown on the My Father Cigars farm in Nicaragua in 2008. Even further, all tobacco used in this initial La Verite project is Habano Criollo--something Pete was called "loco" by Don Pepin Garcia for attempting...until Pepin tasted it. This is part two of my evaluation of the project--after letting the cigar rest in my humidor for more than 2 months (recommended to me by my local B&M manager) is there any change?
This sample displayed the same immaculate rolling job I saw on the first. There were some visible veins but they were not really big--more like the veins were dark brown lines on the lighter brown of the leaf. The aroma from the wrapper was not as strong as when they were fresh, but I still got hay and some earth; from the foot, the earth was stronger and there were notes of cocoa, as well. I used my Xikar V-cutter to excellent effect on this robusto; the draw was excellent and there were wonderful notes of natural tobacco sweetness and a sort of grassy, haylike flavor. I used the soft flame of my Xikar EX and paired this cigar with coffee on a chilly fall morning as the drips from the previous night's rain kept falling from the trees just off my front porch.
After lighting, I was greeted with a mildly sweet natural tobacco flavor that had hints of cedar and autumn spice on the tongue and nice peppery burn on the retrohale. The first third was wonderful--lots of tobacco flavor, obviously, but a really high-quality tobacco that was just a delight. There was also cedar in abundance as well as notes of maple and raw peanuts. The ash was an incredibly light gray and the burn line was very even.
The second third was smooth and creamy. My coffee (black, with sweetener, as usual) went very well with the L'esprit de la Verite and may have influenced the flavor a bit as I did get a nice creamy coffee note from time to time. The burn line went a little crooked in the second third, but nothing I felt the need to touch up.
In the last third, I got that great natural tobacco flavor again and noticed a subtle spiciness creeping in--almost a cayenne pepper, but not quite. For the second time, I am just thoroughly blown away by this cigar. L'esprit de la Verite is a medium-bodied smoke with as much flavor as you can pack into a robusto. The only problem with it is the price, but I even find that acceptable on such a fine cigar, although only for special occasions. I wish I had the money to buy a huge cabinet of these, mortgage be damned! They are that good. How did an extra couple months treat this stick? It was maybe slightly better balanced and creamier throughout at least once the initial pepper burn subsided. I will revisit this one again next August when they are a year old...I can't wait.
Body: 6/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 10/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10
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I picked up a box of these when they came out and smoked 2. the first I thought was great, the second was a bit green. As we have been told. I figured I'd wait 6 months to try another. But your review got me thinking... I may bust into one tonight. lol.
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