A few people have been asking about this one on the boards and since I happened to receive a few in a sampler a bit back, I thought I would break one out for ya'll.
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Cigar: La Herencia Cubana "Core"
Size: Toro (6.5 x 52) Box-Pressed
Price: $175 per box @ cigar.com
Blended By: AJ Fernandez
Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran Ligero mixed with Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Binder: N/A
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Ligero
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Pre-Light:
A truly beautiful cigar, I find this stick to be nearly flawless sans a slightly crooked secondary cap. Seamless as a cigar can be, she is very even in color, heavy in the hand and smooth to the touch. No soft spots can be found.
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Lighting:
The first three puffs are tobacco flavored. Not much development at this stage any way. By the 6th puff, we start to take off into the chocolate zone. Like a weak chocolate ovaltine right now. By the 10th draw I begin to get some wood notes and a bit of spice at the back of the tongue. The chocolate hints begin to fade and more spice and wood make themselves present.
1/3rd:
Burning very evenly so far, the draw is also perfect. Plenty of loose smoke, but the stick is still feeling very tightly rolled. I notice that the cigar is begining to expand near the cherry, pushing it out another couple of ring gauges. 1 inch in, I start to detect a few hints of black tea, which turns out to be very appealing. This cigar is already much spicier than the LHC Oscuro Fuerte EVEr becomes. Seems to be a very floral cigar, as my palette continues to detect the taste of flowers. It isn't the taste of a smell of a flower, but more that you just ate a damn flower. Slightly acrid, but very fresh and green. It is only hints, so don't let it deter you. At the 2 in mark, I start to notice a wonderful creaminess coming in underneath the spice. When I draw from it, I notice spice on my tongue, but as I exhale, the creaminess overcomes the spice and mellows out into a nice sweet woodiness.
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2/3rd
The stick is still expanding, but it has not affected the burn or draw. Flavors are remaining much the same, spice in the middle of the tongue with lots of wood. Leather and a light coffee taste start to come out about midway through. More coffee comes in with nuttiness. It's developing from a "house blend" into a "french roast" so to say. The complexity of this cigar is far greater than the Oscuro Fuerte. Many more layers of flavor coming through. Not quite as powerful or full, but much more flavorful. Some toffee sweetness comes through on the retro hale just past the half way point. The creaminess has blended with the sweetness to have a creamy butteriness now. Slightly like browned butter, but much nuttier. Of course, that is if you can get past the spice layers. Burn is dead even still, the ash is a lovely white, with grey rungs showing my inability to smoke a cigar slowly.
Final 3rd: Getting lots of smoked Oak now. The retrohale makes me think my head is stuck inside a new whiskey barrel. The cigar smoke has gotten much heavier. I find myself slowing down quite a bit on the puffing. Still very sweet and woody, it is starting to lose some of it's spice. Feeling very nicotine-filled at the moment. I'm picking up on a bit of nutmeg hiding out in the last 3rd. Blended with the creaminess and nutty notes, its almost Egg Nog-ish to me in a way. As the stick simmers down to the last 3 or so inches, it starts to present the taste of dried currants. Slightly acidic, but sweet and tangy. At this point, I can't tell if the spice has left the stick of if my tongue is now numb from being overworked by so many flavors!
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Final thoughts:
While a great cigar by most standards, I find myself confused by this cigar. It seems that it is trying to be too many things. Firstly, for being at the price point it is, there are many better smokes to be had. It is a rather tasty stick if the price is right, but I can't justify $175 a box for what it is. My advice? Buy a box of Cuba Libre One for your Spicy needs, and a box of Oscuro Fuerte for your LHC fix. You'll have twice as many smokes and still have $75 in your pocket.
Would I buy again? Yes, if it were down to the $5-6 a stick range.
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