Montecristo

Espada Oscuro

Peppery leather blend medium full moments of cocoa.

Super smooth and delicate in flavor. Rich tobacco, chocolate, maybe some molasses. Deep in tone but not harsh whatsoever. Very easy draw and clean burn.

First puffs sucked, smoothed out, starting to canoe. Touched her up and no more problems. Draw was good, not very exciting though. Ash is tight but fell off at an inch. Earthy peppery tones started up by 2nd third. A bit of chocolate. There isn't anything exciting about this, I smoked it to see if I wanted a box, nope. Not worth the last posting about the last third.

This cigar provided a unique experience for me so far as a brother of the leaf. The name is as ominous as the offering appears--"Dark Sword," and it lives up to both. If I had not consulted my friendly local expert tobacconist, I probably would have run crying from how the Espada Oscuro looks, while it's not pitch black, the sun has almost completely set. The wrapper exhibited some strong veins along the body, so take that analogy as you will. The condition was excellent and the band and label give a high end air. Taking that initial nose, my first thought was "fresh luxuriant wood" as opposed to a more leathery old wood impression. With a respectfully deep cut, the first draw was strong but seemed just right for the overall package. When the flavor hits--it's dark and complex, retaining that freshness communicated by the unlit aroma. Two things particularly stood out to me about the smoke from light up to the band. First, how deep the flavor dimension could be without leaving a strong aftertaste both between draws and after finishing. The second was how consistent the taste was. The wood grew into hay, but there was no shocking surprise in the last third. I am impressed and can't wait to torch another one of these collaborations between Montecristo and Placencia. As a smoker who is trying to evolve from mild/medium into being able to appreciate stronger blends, this just might be my favorite transition stick so far.