Dual Review: Ashton Aged Maduro #10

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 50
Wrapper : Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder : Dominican Republic
Filler : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : ~$7-8 each

Below is the fifth dual review in our series of 6.

Joe K: Ashton brand cigars have been touted as one of the more consistently enjoyable lines available. Being an Arturo Fuente product, that should not come as much of a surprise to anyone. As of this review, I had not tried many of the Ashton line but enjoyed my recent experience with an Ashton ESG, despite some construction issues and looked forward to trying another within the line.

Stephen: Up this time for review is the Ashton Aged Maduro. The cigars hail from the famous Chateau de la Fuente, a farm and factory known for producing some of the most demanded cigars in the world. It sports a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper. Ashton claims the flavors come from the wrapper being aged in Sherry finished French oak barrels. Well we will just see about that.

Joe K	Stephen
Appearance: Rating: Ashton’s Aged Maduro certainly lives up to its name. The dark wrapper is slightly rugged with minor veins and a toothy texture. An oily sheen coats the length of the stick and the contrasting appearance between it and the primarily white band presents a gorgeous image.	Appearance: Rating: The somewhat rustic looking dark brown wrapper is mottled in color. It has several prominent veins but they are not a problem. There were 3 minor pinholes and I was hoping they would not affect the draw. The label is typical Ashton with black lettering and white background. It is classy just the same.
Construction: Rating: Construction of this cigar is fantastic. A consistent filler presents no soft spots and promises an even burning smoke, which does prove to be the case. A slightly wavy but self-correcting burn leaves behind a reasonably tight white ash that has some cracking yet still manages to hang on between one and two inches before dropping. Only one area caused some concern and that was the top layer of the triple cap. Around the perimeter it was curled outward but still remained very secure through the end of the smoke.	Construction: Rating: The draw was firm during pre-light and while smoking. The burn was sharp but slightly wavy. The ash was dark gray in color and held on quite well. No touch ups or anything of the sort were needed. It was typical Ashton quality.
Flavor: Rating: One flavor presents itself throughout the smoke and that is spice. More and more I find that when a smoke has a decent amount of spice to it I would rather it remain consistent. Smoking a cigar that randomly hits you with bursts of power does not sit well with me and thankfully the Aged Maduro avoids that. Coffee, leather and nuttiness make appearances throughout the session. At about the half way point a tart citrus akin to lime even showed briefly. Regularly accompanied by hints of sweet toffee, the continuous spice and tobacco flavors lead to a strong but well blended profile.	Flavor: Rating: The pre-light aroma is that of tobacco and barnyard. Pre-light taste is of just earthy dirt. It left a spicy tingling sensation on my lips even before lighting. Initial taste is mostly nutty with coffee and leather under tones. As the cigar continued on leather and cedar came more tithe front. In the final third leather and wood started to dominate which is okay but it became a little bitter. The nuttiness and hint of sweetness were gone. I wasn’t enjoying it quite as much.
Value: Rating: At roughly eight dollars per stick this is a great buy for a spicy cigar lover.	Value: Rating: At about $8 a stick this is a quality cigar with good flavors.
Overall: Rating: The Ashton Aged Maduro #10 is perfect for those who prefer a stable full bodied smoke. Its solid construction requires no babysitting while the copious amounts of spicy smoke reminds you not to disregard it. Although a little bolder than I personally enjoy regularly, this cigar will not disappoint those who like a more Full bodied smoke.	Overall: Rating: I really enjoyed this cigar except for the bitter ending. The burn was perfect all the way through, it had great initial flavors. I am not sure if it would be in my normal rotation but it is something I will want to have a few around for those times I was a full flavored stick. Oh it goes great with a cup of coffee or brandy.