The Cigar: Tabacos Baez Monarca
Nutritional information:
Vitola: 6.5 x 52 toro
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
The marketing:
From CI:
Savor the ’softer’ side of Don Pepin. Tabacos Baez is carefully hand-crafted in Nicaragua using a silky Connecticut wrapper that’s dark and oily, combined with a Cuban-seed mixture of aged Nicaraguan long-fillers. Typical Jose ’Don Pepin’ Garcia, right? Wrong. While this cigar does contain that rich, earthy twang, the spice is kept to a minimum, allowing ample creaminess to come forward and complement the rich, coffee-like core. Tabacos Baez is medium in body, but layered with smooth, refined flavors that coat the palate with thick, silky plumes of smoke leaving behind a long, somewhat sweet finish. Naturally, construction and quality is top-notch, as every cigar comes jam-packed with superior tobaccos to present yet another fantastic experience from one of the industry’s hottest makers.
Prelight: This toro seems bigger, particularly in ring, than the published dimensions. It's a well rolled cigar with a very well applied cap. The wrapper is darker than the usual ECT. It's a bit light in the hand for it's size, but not underfilled -- the draw was easy, but it burned at a nice slow rate.
Burn/Construction: Very nice. Despite the seeming light weight, the burn was quite straight (except for the last third, when it needed a touchup) and the ash was firm. The easy draw produced a lot of smoke.
Flavor: There's pepper at the start, but less than in other Pepins. Smoother and creamier, too, with a lighter flavor. There are some hints of cocoa throughout, too, but they're just hints. The pepper is there throughout the smoke -- it's always noticeable if you exhale through the nose -- but it's a mellow smoke, with just a bit of sweetness in the background. I'd call it medium in flavor and strength. Not as creamy and complex as a Cabaiguan, not as dry and peppery as a 601 Black. I recommend it, though, particularly if you can pick it up at the prevailing prices on CBid.
[Reply]
