Origin : Nicaragua Format : Belicoso Size : 5 1/2 x 52 Wrapper : Nicaragua Filler : Nicaragua Binder : Nicaragua Hand-Made Price : $187.99 for a box of 21
The Esencia cigars were introduced in 2008 by Brothers of the Leaf, LLC. The cigars are Nicaraguan puros which come in five vitolas: a 5.63 X 46 Corona Gorda; 5.13 X 42 Petit Corona; 4.88 X 50 Robusto; 7 X 47 Churchill, and today’s featured cigar a 5.5 X 52 Belicoso. The Brothers of the Leaf also manufacture the Palio cutter.
Appearance : [rating:5/5]
This cigar had a very nice chocolate brown wrapper with an oily sheen. The cigar does feel nice and oily to the touch.
The band is fairly simple; it has the words “LTD,” “Esencia,” and the year 2008 written in the middle of the band which is also surrounded by two horses standing on their hind legs. Around the black band, the letters “BOTL” are written slanted around the length of the band. It also features the phrase “Totalmente a Mano” which translates to “Handmade.”
Construction : [rating:4.5/5]
The cigar shows 2 small veins and another large vein running the length of the cigar. The cigar is very firm to the touch with absolutely no soft spots. The cigar had an excellent draw both on pre-light and during the smoke.
During the smoke, the cigar burned pretty even for the first half of the cigar; after that, I experienced a canoeing effect; the cigar was allowed to rest for a few minutes, and this seemed to resolve the canoe problem.
The ash looked dark grey, and it seemed fairly tight. The cigar was pretty smoky, and the smoke seemed to linger prior to dissipating.
Flavor : [rating:5/5]
The wrapper had a fresh grass note to it; the foot smelled like fresh hay. These are very earthy aromas which are characteristics of the Nicaraguan wrapper.
On pre-light, straw from a barn was tasted on the draw. Lots of pepper and spice were detected on the tongue prior to lighting the cigar.
The cigar was cut with a Xikar MTX Multi Tool, and the first draw featured roasted nuts and leather flavors. A faint note of sweet caramel was also detected.
All of these notes were very balanced throughout the cigar. None of the flavors were overwhelming. The strength of the cigar can be classified as medium to full.
Value : [rating:5/5]
At almost $9.00 per stick, it is certainly not one of the cheapest I have had; however, the price is well worth it. Truly this does deserve the title of “2008 Cigar of the Year” awarded by Two Guys Smoke Shop in New Hampshire. Definitely, one gets a high quality and enjoyable cigar.
Overall Rating : [rating:5/5]
This is a very high quality product. I highly recommend Esencia Belicoso, it will not disappoint. This is one of my “go-to” cigars, because it is consistently a good product. Definitely, pick a box and enjoy this great cigar.
Ed
Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Belicoso
Size : 5 1/2 x 52
Wrapper : Nicaragua
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : $187.99 for a box of 21
The Esencia cigars were introduced in 2008 by Brothers of the Leaf, LLC. The cigars are Nicaraguan puros which come in five vitolas: a 5.63 X 46 Corona Gorda; 5.13 X 42 Petit Corona; 4.88 X 50 Robusto; 7 X 47 Churchill, and today’s featured cigar a 5.5 X 52 Belicoso. The Brothers of the Leaf also manufacture the Palio cutter.
Appearance : [rating:5/5]
This cigar had a very nice chocolate brown wrapper with an oily sheen. The cigar does feel nice and oily to the touch.
The band is fairly simple; it has the words “LTD,” “Esencia,” and the year 2008 written in the middle of the band which is also surrounded by two horses standing on their hind legs. Around the black band, the letters “BOTL” are written slanted around the length of the band. It also features the phrase “Totalmente a Mano” which translates to “Handmade.”
Construction : [rating:4.5/5]
The cigar shows 2 small veins and another large vein running the length of the cigar. The cigar is very firm to the touch with absolutely no soft spots. The cigar had an excellent draw both on pre-light and during the smoke.
During the smoke, the cigar burned pretty even for the first half of the cigar; after that, I experienced a canoeing effect; the cigar was allowed to rest for a few minutes, and this seemed to resolve the canoe problem.
The ash looked dark grey, and it seemed fairly tight. The cigar was pretty smoky, and the smoke seemed to linger prior to dissipating.
Flavor : [rating:5/5]
The wrapper had a fresh grass note to it; the foot smelled like fresh hay. These are very earthy aromas which are characteristics of the Nicaraguan wrapper.
On pre-light, straw from a barn was tasted on the draw. Lots of pepper and spice were detected on the tongue prior to lighting the cigar.
The cigar was cut with a Xikar MTX Multi Tool, and the first draw featured roasted nuts and leather flavors. A faint note of sweet caramel was also detected.
All of these notes were very balanced throughout the cigar. None of the flavors were overwhelming. The strength of the cigar can be classified as medium to full.
Value : [rating:5/5]
At almost $9.00 per stick, it is certainly not one of the cheapest I have had; however, the price is well worth it. Truly this does deserve the title of “2008 Cigar of the Year” awarded by Two Guys Smoke Shop in New Hampshire. Definitely, one gets a high quality and enjoyable cigar.
Overall Rating : [rating:5/5]
This is a very high quality product. I highly recommend Esencia Belicoso, it will not disappoint. This is one of my “go-to” cigars, because it is consistently a good product. Definitely, pick a box and enjoy this great cigar.