Pinar Del Rio Oscuro

PINAR DEL RIO OSCURO
5x50 Robusto

The PDR Oscuro features a Dominican Habano seed Oscuro wrapper. It is one of the oiliest and toothiest wrappers I have ever seen on any stick. It has a very deep dark chocolate color to it that appears totally natural (it is very dark... but not black!) It has a very slick looking oil sheen to it that is also quite nice looking. The seams appear tight. The double cap looks good and solid as well. There are no real veins tangible. I say tangible because all cigar wrappers are going to have veins, but it is the big protruding veins that you can really touch and feel that cause problems, not the tiny network of smaller veins that run over every leaf regardless of quality. The foot gives off a deep earthy aroma with a bit of peppery spice as well. Cold draw is slightly loose, in a good way, and full of chocolate and sweet, mellow tobacco.

Lit at 5:41pm

From the get go there is a good sweet tobacco flavor, and a mellow pepper. The mouth feel is very oily and thick. The smoke production is good, very easy going with a loose draw. There might be a little coffee somewhere, but it isn't really defined enough yet.

In the first third the burn line is pretty wavy. No real problem areas yet, but something to keep an eye on. The ash displays every last little toothy bump that was present on the wrapper, which is cool. The pepper on the finish has come up a little bit, providing a nice counterpoint to the sweet, dessert like tobacco taste that dominates otherwise. The smoke production has steadily gotten better as well, and you would never know how loose the draw is, based on the major amounts of smoke this cigar spews forth.

As things progress into the second third, the ash has fallen for the first time, at close to two inches, which is impressive. Pepper has continued to grow gradually and now makes for a lengthy, spicy finish, after a sweet leathery tobacco from the draw. The mouthfeel is still impressively thick and oily. Some cocoa washes in and out over the course of the finish as well. It is a creamy sweet taste. The burn line has also straightened out well. The heat near the burn has made all sorts of oils and tooth become even more apparent near the surface. Yum!

The flavors so far have been pretty straight forward, but very rich, and enjoyable. Not a lot of changes, but rather, consistent in a very good way. Not boring, but rather quite bold and dessert like (I know I already said that, but it is true) in how it feels overall. Ash has continued to hold on, getting into the final third it has only fallen once so far. Impressive. Of course as soon as I type that the ash falls (about an inch and a half of it) all over my shirt and lap. Karma.

Ended at 7:20pm for a total smoke time of One hour and thirty-nine minutes, which is about perfect for a robusto. No problems with construction or performance. Overall this was a great stick, really deep flavor and feel to it that would make it a wonderful choice for a smoke after a hearty dinner, or to wind down after a big day. Good stuff

Joya de Nicaragua Antaño

JOYA de NICARAGUA ANTANO DARK COROJO
4.7x60 "Pesadilla" Belicoso

This short, fat belicoso... that looks extremely short and fat, features an appropriately dark corojo habano seed wrapper that is just seeped in oil. It has a smooth surface, with very little vein structure visible. The pack is pretty good, with a few spongy spots, but overall it feels fairly dense, and is definitely heavy as heck. The regular Antano line is apparently descended from the original JdN Antano, and was the first cigar produced in a factory commercially in Nicaragua. The Dark Corojo has an extra fermented Corojo wrapper, and it actually SMELLS spicy which bodes well for the strength and robustness of this little guy. The foot has a spicy, earthy aroma that reminds me of Old Bay seasoning actually which is cool. The cold draw is spicy as heck, with both cedar and cocoa present.

Lit at 11:10pm.

The really large ring gauge made for a slightly clumsy light. Once everything is even and burning, the draw is perfect. Just a slight resistance. Smoke production is great as well, and there is even a fair amount of ambient smoke off the foot. The flavors right off the bat are deep and earthy. There is a sort of mocha flavor, combining both bitter dark chocolate and bitter roasted coffee bean. It's not a sour flavor, but a bitter bite. The finish is woody with a lingering smooth spice over the palette.

In the first third the cocoa flavor has diminished a bit, replaced by a rich woody flavor, and a continued peppery finish. Not a burning, hot pepper, but a smooth mellow white pepper across the palette. The finish is somewhat dry, but the mouthfeel is heavy and oily. It makes me want to take a sip of water after almost every draw. As I sort of expected, the huge ring gauge is making for some funny burning, and will probably require a few touch ups to keep everything going smoothly. So far I have hit one spot quickly with the lighter, but nothing bad. About an inch in the ash is flowering a little bit, but that isn't a problem, just a pure aesthetic complaint on my part as a picky old sourpuss.

Since the start of the second third things have been getting steadily spicier. The flavor is primarily a sweet earthy tobacco, with a slight coffee bitterness, and an increasingly peppery finish. Interesting. In my experience, when pepper and spice comes back in most sticks it is towards the end if it was present initially and then disappeared. This stick is getting stronger and spicier much earlier than most. I like! I have found that this cigar also likes to either be drawn on more often, or with a series of quick back to back draws in order to get the wrapper burning all the way around its fat foot. This particular vitola would be very forgiving to the faster smoker, or someone who tends to draw more often than they should. Ash holds on for roughly an inch, and falls off in a big, fat, firm clump that remains pristine even after falling onto the ashtray.

A quarter inch past the halfway point a pretty large tear has suddenly developed from about a half inch from the head up for almost an inch. It seems to be only the wrapper that has been compromised, so it isn't affecting the smoke at all. Hopefully it won't cause any problems. Having now smoked into the torn area, it isn't causing any problems with the draw or smoke, but the stick is sort of swelling up making the tear get wider. There isn't but about an inch and a half left so I'm not worried about it, and it isn't affecting the flavor or anything. Strength has ramped up a good deal in this last third as well. For the first two thirds the strength was not noticeable really, or was overwhelmed by the flavor and general heaviness of the smoke. Now in the final third it is finally getting up there.

Ended at 12:40am, for a total burn time of one hour thirty minutes. Overall this was a great example of a typical Nicaraguan powerhouse. Lots of earthy richness and heavy on the peppery spice. Oily mouthfeel and thick smoke make this a good full experience. I would like to see how a smaller ring gauge would affect the burn and flavor. Not overly complex, but what is present is very good. Good smoke.