At the Intertabac trade show we stopped at A. Turrent cigars as our host, The Longfiller Company, a Dutch cigar distributer, had an appointment. They spoke about importing Te-Amo cigars to The Netherlands. Me and my buddy José, who was there as well, got a sampler with loads of A. Turrent and Te-Amo cigars which will all be reviewed but as The Longfiller Company was mostly interested in the world selection series I am reviewing these first. And I start with the 5x54 Cuba blend.
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The Cuba blend doesn't actually contain Cuban tobacco but Cuban seed tobacco. The cigar is box pressed and is wrapped in cellophane. The filler is Criollo San Andres & Corojo, the binder is corojo and the wrapper is a criollo 98. The cigar looks good but the band isn't glued straight, the roller could have paid a little more attention and should have finished the cigar more neatly. The thick wrapper is light colored and I smell wood and hay. The construction feels good. The predraw is a bit tight and I taste straw and raisin.
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I taste sweet earth and hay. I expected the sweetness as Mexican tobacco tends to be sweet. The cigar is also mild harsh but not in an unpleasant way. After three quarters of an inch I taste herbs, a mild sweetness with some pepper in the aftertaste, all with that little edgy harshness. After a third I taste herbs with a little bit of chocolate on the background and a mild bitterness.
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Halfway I taste hay with some chocolate, the cigar is mild spicy. After two thirds the flavors change to wood, hay and a mild sweetness. Near the end I taste some pepper with some bitterness.
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This cigar lasted me an hour and forty-five minutes. The draw is good, just like the burn. The frayed pepper and salt colored ash isn't firm and the burn isn't great either but the cigars had been at the tradeshow for a few days so they weren't in the best condition. The cigar is medium flavored and medium bodied and a bit dull.
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Would I buy this cigar again? I might, have to try the other Te-Amo world selection series first
Appearance: 7 / 10
Construction: 7 / 10
Draw: 7 / 10
Burn: 6 / 10
Smoke & ash: 8 / 10
Aroma first part: 7 / 10
Aroma second part: 7 / 10
Aroma third part: 7 / 10
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