I've smoked the
Benchmade robusto recently and liked it a lot, especially considering the price. Today I had the pleasure of smoking another of these Don Pepin made Ashton cigars, the Gordo which is the latest addition to the whole Benchmade line. It measures 5½x54 and is a Nicaraguan puro, just like the other Benchmades. In The Netherlands it has a € 3.00 price tag.
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I like the cap, you can't really call it a pigtail as the tobacco sticking out isn't curled, but it comes close. The cigar has a strong barnyard smell and a simple band. The wrapper is nice, dark and oily and has a few veins. The construction feels good. The predraw, that has a peppery flavor to it, is good.
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I taste pepper with some coffee on the background and some sweetness. The pepper is strong and dominant. After half an inch the pepper gets a bit milder while the coffee grows in strength.
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After two inch the cigar loses some of its power and strength. The coffee has gone and instead I taste wood, pepper and something sweet. The pepper slowly loses strength until it almost disappears but it returns after two thirds and keeps growing in strength until I have to dump the nub in the ashtray.
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The smoke time of this cigar is about an hour and fifteen minutes. The draw and burn are good and I got a decent amount of smoke. The smoke is a bit thin though. The medium gray ash is firm. This cigar is full flavored and medium to full bodied.
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Would I buy this cigar again? Yes, I love this cigar and you can find it dirt cheap.
Appearance: 8 / 10
Construction: 7 / 10
Draw: 7 / 10
Burn: 7 / 10
Smoke & ash: 7 / 10
Aroma first part: 8 / 10
Aroma second part: 8 / 10
Aroma third part: 8 / 10
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