Ashton ESG 21 Year Salute

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Robusto
Size : 5.25 x 52
Ring : 52
Wrapper : Dominican Republic
Filler : Dominican Republic
Binder : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : ~$20 each
More info about purchasing Ashton ESG cigars...

This is the robusto version of Ashton’s flagship line . . . the Estate Sun Grown. The ESG sports a celebrated wrapper grown on the Chateau de la Fuente farm in the Dominican Republic. Ashton claims that this wrapper has never been used on any other cigar it produces and that the series relies on rare tobacco to provide its rich, bold complexity. We’ll see if these claims are accurate.

Appearance :
Beautiful. This cigar is wrapped with a golden, brown leaf that has obviously been meticulously rolled. The ornate band just adds to the overall luster and gorgeous presentation of this stogie.

Construction :
Perfect. The draw and burn were flawless. The cigar sported a beautiful ash too, which held long and firm.

Flavor :
After lighting, I was surprised to find sweet and mellow tastes, rather than a peppery blast. I guess I’ve smoked too many VSG’s, but I was pleasantly surprised. The first half of the smoke exhibited a refined earth and leather taste. At the halfway mark, this cigar burst into an array of flavors. I detected chocolate, cinnamon, nuts and, at times, a wonderful cedar taste. I was quite delighted by the complexity of flavors presented in this stogie. My only complaint was that the cigar was very much on the mild side. Even though there were numerous flavors present throughout the smoke, I felt that there was really no “punch” to the cigar. Also, the flavors are not as rich as I would expect.

Value :
Quite frankly, this cigar is priced at more than double its worth. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of good in this stick, but there are many, many cheaper cigars that rival it. While I won’t name other brands, the VSG line from Ashton exhibits as many flavors and provides a stronger, more pleasing smoke, at least to me.

Overall Rating :
Ashton advertises and prices this cigar as a top-of-the-line smoke. Quite simply, it’s not. There are plenty of smokes at half its price that offer a similar or better experience. For instance, you can pick up an Ashton VSG that will rival, if not exceed, this particular smoke. Staying in the family, pretty much any Opus X will surpass this experience, and most sell for half the price. In the end, this cigar is just too expensive. It is a nice experience, but not worth the price of admission.