Size: 4 3/8″ x 42 (110mm x 16.67mm)
Vitola: Petite Corona (Minutos)
Wrapper: Habano
Origin: Cuba
Age: ~2 years
San Cristobal is normally one of my least favorite Habanos lines. I find them to be very salty and lacking in depth and Cuban musky flavor compared to some of my favorite Habanos. This stick came from a box with over two years of age, so I have an open mind going in.
OK, so I start the review ragging on the cigar before I smoke it and I am getting my just desserts. The draw is a little tight, but the burn is dead even yielding tons of creamy leather flavors. There is a core of earth and tobacco that develops as I smoke.
As I smoke further I am rewarded with rich dark coffee and a touch of licorice on the finish. I have to nub this cigar because the coffee and licorice flavors just keep intensifying and get better and better…
OK, so while I don’t completely take back what I said on the SCdlH line in general, this box of El Principes is turning out to be a gem that I want to keep on aging and occasionally savoring.
Rating: 93 (A)
