I received a pair of these in the Christmas give away last week.

I was planning on letting these sit for a while but a few others said they were ready to smoke now so I gave it a go last night.

Very nice aroma, nice and firm to the touch. Very dark wrapper, almost maduro dark, reminded to me instantly of the JdN Antano.

The cut - I cut everything at home with cigar scissors and I have come to learn a lot about a cigar by how it cuts.

Well this cut produce at 3/4 inch flap of wrapper telling me I probably should have let it rest some more. The burn matched that 3/4 inch in unevenness until about halfway but it did catch up. But these are just cosmetics.

One more thing about the burn, I was standing outside in the cold so I just let the ash go. Sort of flaky and grey I didn't expect it to hold long but it was a good 2 inches before it finally let go - impressive for a corona.

Taste wise it started out with a little pepper which again brought up thoughts of the Antano or some kind of Pepin - but it smoothed out quickly. I got a lot of natural woody flavors which reminded me of the RP Vintage series or maybe a Padron 3000 natural (but not as harsh).

It definitely mellowed out after the first inch and stayed firmly in the medium-full range the rest of the way. The best part of this cigar for me was the flavors at the nose on exhale, some cedar with a little sweetness.

Strength wise I would say somewhere along the lines of the JdN Cellebracion, Punch Uppercut - maybe the Perdomo 2. A nice spot where I think both mild and full fans could enjoy this smoke.

I was sipping on a little Bacardi Select which may have dulled my tastes a bit but it paired well with the Esencia.

Bottom line, would I buy it?

Yes :-) , if I could find it at the right price (not really sure what these are retailing for).

I don’t frequent B&M’s very often but there is one on the list of retailers near me (Watch City in Waltham) and I will make it a point to look for one next time I stop there.
[Reply]

These are very good. The flavor reminds me a lot like an Illusione
[Reply]

I actually haven't had an Illusione yet so good to know. I see now that 2Guys in NH has these on their site for $8 a single - which is probably a little higher than I would have guessed for a corona but wouldn't completely scare me off.
[Reply]

Great cigar. :-)
[Reply]

$8 for a single of the cg? Thats a good deal, I got mine for more, but its worth every penny. Great smoke. These taste good with spiced anything(apple cider, etc.). Still got a cg, robusto, and 2009 churchill sittin in the humi. I'm intrigued to see if theres any difference between the 08s and 09s
[Reply]

Nice review :-)--that pretty much mirrors my experience with these as well. Except on the the strength part, I'd have to say that the tail end of this cigar is very much like a JdN Antano. The last 1" or so knocks me on my ass every time.
[Reply]

I really need to find some of these!
[Reply]

Smoking one right now... it's aight...
[Reply]

Nice review. If I recall correctly, I think I remember IceHog3 and Kidsyd endorsing these at the "Don't Mess with Texas" Herf.

Methinks I will have to find one...
[Reply]

Definitely my favorite current NC, Zach. :-)
[Reply]

Just a reminder concerning the price of Esencia, which has never increased in price since its inception:

An open letter to the cigar community from Brother of the Leaf, L.L.C.

A true “brother” is willing to do all he or she can for another “brother.” These characteristics are still what ring the loudest for us today and the motivation for everything we do as a company.

BOTL, LLC. would like to make sure that all are cognizant of the following information regarding our company and the products we currently bring to market.

The Palio cigar cutter and Esencia cigars:

1. Palio cigar cutters are made COMPLETELY of components manufactured in the
United States.

2. Palio cigar cutters are hand assembled, packaged and shipped COMPLETELY from within the United States.

3. On April 1st of 2009 you all should have heard that the SCHIP taxes will increase the price of every single cigar available on the market today, to our knowledge, EXCEPT Esencia Cigars.

4. BOTL, LLC. is NOT implementing any price increase this year. BOTL, LLC. will absorb any and all escalation in cost caused by SCHIP and WILL NOT pass those increases on to our customers.

The above items should make it very clear that we not only know what calling our company Brother of the Leaf, L.L.C. means, but also that the choice of that specific name dictates our actions and obligation to our brethren during an extremely difficult time in our global economy.

As we are not increasing the price of any of our products to our retailers, no retailer should arbitrarily be raising the price on any of our products, while raising all the other prices of products by other companies. We ask everyone at every level to support us in policing this by contacting us directly if you believe someone is taking advantage.

We hope you will remember the information above when you are about to make your next purchase and ask yourself if the company you are about to support with your hard earned money is worthy.

Sincerely,

Brother of the Leaf, L.L.C.
[Reply]

I need to try one of these.
[Reply]

Your company stands alone in this regard I am sure Marc,I for one thank you.

Rick,I buy my boxes at Watch City.Great service at a fair price.
[Reply]

Thank you Marc! :-)
[Reply]

Impressive news.
[Reply]

marc, what is the msrp for you cigars?

i myself only started smoking these after the cw san antonio herf and never saw pre schip prices to be able to compare.


edit# pm's on my phone are hard to send but maybe that question should be answered in private to abide by forum rules, unless the toe doesnt mind.
Posted via Mobile Device
[Reply]

I don't think posting MSRP for Non-Cuban cigars should be an issue as long as Marc is OK with it.
[Reply]

I smoked one of the 2 I got in the contest Mark held late last year.

In one word: WOW

I was not expecting it to be this good. It had everything that I was looking for in a cigar. Flavor wise and also strength wise. It even tasted great on the pre-light inhale. If you can get some of these I highly recommend it. I hate to sound like a hype man, but this one example won me over in a big way.
[Reply]

Great review. I am glad you enjoyed this cigar. I love these for the nose flavor as well. As for Marc and BOTL they are always a stand up company.
[Reply]

I just smoked one of these from the box I got yesterday.

I would normally not smoke anything ROTT but I noticed one with a small tear in the foot while packing up 10 for the box split so I decided why not?

Damn, this is a good smoke.

Great taste, great nose.

Only one smoke in and I am already thinking about ordering more.:-)
[Reply]