Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 50
Wrapper : Nicaraguan
Filler : Nicaraguan
Binder : Nicaraguan
Hand-Made
Price : $7-8 each
The San Cristobal is blended by the illustrious Don Pepin Garcia and is rolled in his factory in Estelí’ Nicaragua for Ashton Cigars. This was Pepin’s first cigar with the Levin’s (owners of Ashton) and was debuted at the RTDA (now known as IPCPR) back in 2007.
The first thing you notice about the San Cristobal is the gorgeous band that this cigar sports. A very intricate band with a lot of color and a lot of gold accents, this cigar band is one of the best in the business in my opinion. The wrapper on the cigar is darker brown in color and has minimal veins. The roll is good and sports a Cuban style triple cap; a very nice looking cigar.
The San Cristobal has a nice free draw that produces a ton of smoke. The burn is quite uneven and required some touch up’s but nothing out of the ordinary. The ash is a medium gray color and has minimal flowering that does flake off in some areas.
Right off the bat you can tell this is a Pepin cigar. The San Cristobal starts off with some red pepper spice which mellows down after the first inch. After the initial blast the cigar settles into a nice combination of sweet cedar, coffee, and roasted almonds. Overall the cigar is nicely balanced and though the flavors do not change much between thirds, they have nice complexity on the palate. The body is medium to full as is the strength of the cigar.
I’ve smoked through quite a few of these San Cristobal’s and this cigar never disappoints. The flavor of the cigar is great and it balanced nicely. The only gripe I have is that for the price it could offer some a little more complexity between the thirds of the cigar, however this had never stopped me from picking up more of these cigars.
