This Nicaraguan puro stunner measures up as a classic 5"x52 Robusto with an oily Ecuadorian Habano wrapper clinging to its densely-packed body. At $9 per stick in 25-count boxes, it brings serious value for a limited edition smoke featuring French oak wine barrel-aged tobacco. The draw feels like sucking milkshake through a wide straw - almost too effortless at first.
Cold Draw: Raisin sweetness plays hide-and-seek with cedar shavings. That wine barrel treatment whispers rather than shouts upfront.
Black pepper spray attacks the nostrils on the initial light, mellowing into earthy espresso grounds after half-inch. Ash holds firm past the inch mark despite sudden humidity swings in my lounge. Retrohale exposes bitter cocoa edges needing time to integrate.
Oak tannins emerge at the halfway point, sanding down the pepper's edge. Now we get the promised red wine character - not fruit-forward like Cabernet but more like Bordeaux's graphite minerality. Smoke output doubles unexpectedly, requiring quicker puffing rhythm to prevent heat buildup.
Last two inches amp up nicotine strength from medium-full to heavyweight category. Dried cherry notes briefly flash before being smothered by increasing leather intensity. Cut it at 1.5" nub unless you enjoy ashy aftertaste - the wrapper burns faster than binder in final third.
