Cortez Cigars Salomon or Figurado newb review.
This is my first attempt at a review. I will do my best do describe what I’m experiencing, even if I don’t know what it is. If however you do know, please clue me in. Also, if you feel this was a complete waste of time, both mine and yours, let me know as well. Sorry for pic quality, I left my camera home and had to use my laptop’s web cam.
Date: 7/19
Maker: Cortez Cigars
Vitola: Salomon or Figurado (I don’t know the difference between the 2)
Length: 7
Ring gauge: 58
Wrapper: Best guess Brazilian Maduro
Filler: Again a guess Dominican
Price: $7
Smoking location: My booth at work
Beverage: Water – Iced tea – Water
Smoke time: 3Hrs 15 Min
The box they were in had a sign, Braz - Dom, hence my guesses.
Initial thoughts.
As soon as I purchased this cigar, I wanted to smoke it. It immediately went to #1 on my death by fire list. The cigar is smooth and tight. The wrapper is very dark with an almost purplish hue. The only thing in my humidor to compare it with is a Padilla Obsidian, and I would say the Cortez is darker. The veins are very visible to the eye, though hardly noticeable to the touch. The way the wrapper covers the cigar is beautiful. The best way I can describe it is to say the wrapper looks like it was applied, and then shrunk to the perfect size with a hairdryer.
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Pre-Light
The aroma is very, very faint, and of chocolate and Ketchup. Not Ketchup out of the bottle, but the aroma you get after you have eaten it, washed your hands, and an hour after that rub your nose, kind of Ketchup. The smell is so light and mild; I wonder if it’s me and pull 2 other sticks out of cello to compare. They both smell like the zoo on a hot day in comparison. I use my Palio, because my Xikar is in the shop, to cut. The cap comes off in a hunk, without one scrap of tobacco hitting the desk. The pre-light draw is a little looser than I would expect. The flavors are of espresso, and anisette
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First third
The stick lights like a dream, and the burn starts off very even. The initial flavors I get are, muted bitter anise, and musky basement. I decide to let it sit to cool. As I write the oils from the wrapper are leaving fingerprints on my paper and pen. When I pick it up again, I’m getting chocolate and coffee all the way. No hint of any spice. I blow some smoke out my nose, No burn. The flavors are clear to me, but seem muted, or fat, not crisp. The burn starts to get a little wavy, but I let it go for now. The ash is a brown, black, gray mixture. The center is holding, but the outer edge is peeling back like a banana, and falling on my desk. After an inch, the ash falls, and a strong cedar taste is starting to come out. Throughout the first third, the flavors have stayed consistent. If I let it sit, coffee, chocolate, and anise. If I smoke to fast, bitter anise and cedar.
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Second third
The burn has corrected itself. As I move to the second third, the pepper is starting to come out. I go to the nose again and feel some burn. I consider a purge, but with this flaky ash, I don’t want to have to vacuum my laptop. After the ash falls, I decide to purge. Just getting pepper and cedar now. A little further down, and the cedar is becoming over powering. It is staying with me long after I put the sick down. 3, 4, 5 minutes between drags no difference, just cedar. I switch to iced tea to try and bring the cedar down, and it works. It also helps to bring the pepper back up. I don’t know if the draw got tight, or if I felt cedar walls closing in on me, but I felt the smoke needed to be freed. I clip some more of the cap, and feel it really opens up the flavor. I’m getting a whisky, mash flavor now. I don’t know if it was the cut or all the rest, but the stick went out.
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Last third
I don’t know if it was the cut, or the fact that I have moved into the last third, but the pepper and liquor flavors are very upfront now. I still get cedar when I lick my teeth after a drag. I switch back to water. As long as I keep my tongue free of my teeth, the cedar is gone. I go to my nose once again. This time just fire, and tears (going to have to work on that). The anise comes back, as the liquor mellows. This last third, the flavor is better, but touch-ups and re-lights abound. As I come to the end it’s all pepper and chocolate.
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Final thoughts
As soon as I purchased this stick, I wanted to love it. In the end, the strong finish couldn’t make up for all that cedar.
4 out of 10
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