Cigar Extra: Emilio Cigars AF1 Corona

Corona, 5.5” x 44 ring gauge / MSRP $6.50
I have enjoyed the Emilio AF1 since I had my first one about 2 years ago, even though it is wrapped in a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper...a varietal I'm often not fond of. The key is probably the fact that company owner, Gary Griffith, insists on a properly long fermentation time for these wrapper leaves, resulting in a dark color and a rich flavor. The Corona vitola showed up in the middle of 2012 and I was able to get a box of them near the end of the year...they have quickly become my favorite cigar in the entire AF Series. The cold draw is chocolatey and sweet, with enough counterpoints of earth and strong, black coffee to be exceptionally interesting...and it gets better when lit.

The AF1 Corona starts off very full in body, with that peculiar Mexican earthiness right up front on the palate, but a nice sweetness just underneath. The retrohale is intensely spicy and the whole experience paired well with the Belle Meade Bourbon I was sipping.   The bitter earthiness that I often find off-putting in Mexican Maduro wrapper works well in this cigar even as it gets more prevalent while as the cigar goes up in smoke. I guess it turns out to be a fine line between "it works" and "it doesn't work" for me on this wrapper variety, but the blend really does work on the AF1. The lesson here is to not give up on a wrapper variety, blender or manufacturer that you haven’t found yourself in sync with yet...be willing to give everything a try and be willing to be pleasantly surprised sometimes.

Full disclosure: I do work with Emilio Cigars in a graphic design capacity, but I really do love these cigars, so while this might be looked at as a commercial...it's still an honest endorsement.