The Ashton Cabinet series has 10 different sizes, amongst which this 6x52 pyramid. The Dominican filler for this cigar has aged 4 to 5 years and the Connecticut Shade wrapper has aged for even longer. Six different kinds of tobacco are used to create the blend, which Ashton calls "the white burgundy of cigars" due to the complexity of the flavors.
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The wrapper is pale and light colored with a few thin and sharp veins. The cigar has a mild barnyard smell. The construction feels good and the cigar has a great predraw, I taste a spicy and peppery tobacco.
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I taste a smooth, mild spicy, peppery and bitter coffee flavor with some pepper in the aftertaste. After half an inch I taste herbs with pepper and a herbal aftertaste and a slowly growing cedar flavor. The mild sweet and sour herbs are nice, the sour flavor reminds me of lemon or citrus and I get some pepper in the aftertaste. Every now and then I also taste some chocolate in the aftertaste.
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Halfway I taste something bitter and herbal with far on the background even some chocolate. The pepper has gone. Later I taste a full wood flavor with some herbs and after two thirds the flavors get company from a bitter and spicy pepper. The pepper grows in strength towards the end.
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This cigar has a smoke time of an hour and fifteen minutes. The draw and burn are great and I got plenty of thick smoke. The pepper and salt colored ash is firm. When I purged the cigar I got a nice big flame. This cigar is medium to full bodied and full flavored.
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Would I buy this cigar again? I might, just a single every now and then.
Appearance: 7 / 10
Construction: 8 / 10
Draw: 8 / 10
Burn: 8 / 10
Smoke & ash: 8 / 10
Aroma first part: 7 / 10
Aroma second part: 7 / 10
Aroma third part: 7 / 10
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I thought I'd piggyback on this thread since I didn't want to start a new on for a short review.
Ashton Cabinet Tres Petit; this one has been sitting in my vinotemp for a few years now, since about '06. Maybe that was a mistake; I found it mostly acrid and flavorless, other than a few times when I purged it and got a couple of sweet hits. Maybe it doesn't age well; I doubt it's the box, since everything else I smoke comes from there too. Maybe just a bad one.
In any case; the only Fuente product I've outright disliked.
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Originally Posted by Taki:
Both nice reviews...but i am not sure if I want to try one or not???:-)
I wouldn't be averse to trying another one if the opportunity arose, just to be fair; but I won't seek it out.
If you've never had one and like mild cigars, give it a shot.
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I'm with you 100%, Joe.
I've tried these new and with a good amount of age and both were just flat out awful. I'm not sure if it's the wrapper (which is what I blamed it on) or the blend.
They were lifeless, tasted like bitter hay, and barely reminded of a cigar. If I could compare it to anything, it'd be burning leaves in the Fall, less the pleasant smell.
They just delivered plain, white, bitter smoke.
For the money, a guy would be far better served by something like a 5 Vegas A Gold or something in that ballpark. They're not my cup of tea, but they have a personality.
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