La Casita Criolla is one of the latest inventions by Pete Johnson and like all of his other cigars the production is done by the Garcias at the My Father factory in Nicaragua. The thing that makes this La Casita Criolla different than any other cigar is that not only the wrapper is broadleaf Connecticut but also the binder and the filler. Not all broadleaf Connecticut can be used as wrapper and Pete decided to use those leaves as binder and filler. The La Casita Criolla HCB has a € 5.50 price tag in The Netherlands.
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The HCB is the smallest of the three vitolas with a 5⅛x42 size. The cigar doesn't look too good with a couple of thick veins on the shiny wrapper. I smell a mild but intense barnyard smell. The construction feels a bit soft and the predraw is a bit easy. I taste raisin and tobacco. The band is very small.
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I taste pepper and herbs with some coffee and some spiced cake. I also get a bit of chocolate but the pepper is the main flavor. After half an inch I taste cacao with herbs, the combination is beautiful, spicy with a bite. There is a spicy acidic flavor in the aftertaste. After a third the cigar is quite spicy and peppery.
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Halfway the cigar tastes nice, the harsh spiciness has disappeared, I taste wood with herbs and a peppery aftertaste. After two thirds I taste mild herbs. The pepper has gone but slowly returns to the scene. The cigar gets spicy again with an overpowering pepper.
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This cigar lasted me for only fifty minutes. The draw was on the easy side but I got an incredible amount of smoke. The ash is gray, coarse and reasonably firm. The burn is good. This cigar is full flavored and medium bodied.
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Would I buy this cigar again? Yes, this cigar is something special, it has a different flavor profile than most other cigars.
Appearance: 7 / 10
Construction: 7 / 10
Draw: 7 / 10
Burn: 7 / 10
Smoke & ash: 9 / 10
Aroma first part: 8 / 10
Aroma second part: 7 / 10
Aroma third part: 7 / 10
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These are a great departure from the other Tat stuff. To me, they have a really sweet syrupy taste. Not an everyday smoke, but an awesome change of pace cigar.
What is the band at the foot? Is that a secondary band for your market, or the price tag?
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