A while back I posted a thread asking if anyone had any insight on the Ave Maria brand. Porch Dweller (James) graciously offered to send me a couple to try before I made any major purchases. Well, I smoked one last night and here's a little review for your reading pleasure.
Ave Maria Clermont
5.5 x 45 (corona)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan
To start, this is a nice looking cigar! The wrapper is a blemish free, medium brown color. Silky smooth to the touch and a semi-firm but even pack. Tight, nearly invisible seams and a really awesome looking band. I'm a bit of a band collector and these will make a nice addition to my collection. Of course, I give this nice description and completely forgot to snap a pre-light pic of the smoke...
Pre-light aroma is tobacco and hay. I used a straight cut and the pre-light draw is spot on giving a flavor of light dry wood.
First draw off the light produces a HUGE pepper rush that quickly transitions to a medium bodied nutty flavor on the rapidly fading finish. The following few draws produce a solid tobacco core with more of the pepper (not as potent though) as well as some nuts and leather. Finish is still rather short.
10 minutes: 1/2 inch down and the burn is just a little uneven. Other than that this cigar is smoking beautifully. Draw is perfect and it's producing a ton of smoke. Seriously, this rivals some of the Drew Estate sticks on smoke output. Flavors remain mostly the same, just the pepper has finally faded.
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20 minutes: Start of the 2/3. The burn has evened out just fine and the ash is holding on strong. Flavors have shifted to a more creamy texture. The pepper has returned slightly and I'm picking up more leather on the finish. Smoooooth smoking cigar.
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30 minutes: Removed the ginormous band to keep it from getting scorched. Ash dropped shortly after the start of the 2/3. About an inch and a quarter total. Flavors and construction remain largely the same.
40 minutes: Still working on 2/3. The burn has slowed down quite a bit at this point and I'm not smoking it and differently than I did to begin with. Beginning to pick up a caramel note on the draw but it fades quickly.
50 minutes: I heard a loud snap/crack sound and noticed a good sized split on the wrapper. Not entirely sure what caused it. Either removing the band or the drop in the outside temperature. Whatever the cause, it doesn't appear that it will affect the burn of the cigar, which is still perfect. The caramel note is gone and has been replaced by a deep, rich tobacco. Strength has ramped up quite a bit and I'm getting a little light headed. Began the final 1/3 shortly after the wrapper crack.
Crack:
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Final 1/3:
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70 minutes: Finished with about an inch left. It's still smoking cool, but by this point any and all flavor complexity is gone. Just straight tobacco that coats the palate now.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable smoke. While it doesn't have the most complex flavors out there, the perfect construction makes this a cigar that you can kick back and enjoy without having to give it much thought.
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