Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 1/2 x 54
Ring : 54
Wrapper : Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Filler : Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : ~$5 each
Wow!! This is one of those smokes I went into thinking was going to be just OK. Boy, was I wrong. This is a great stick for the price.
Appearance : Rating: 
Pretty ugly. Yep, it’s not the nicest stick appearance wise. Take a look at the pre-light picture and you will notice that this cigar is not too straight, has a few abnormalities and is really bumpy. However, one good thing is the big, colorful band that offsets the dark, chocolate wrapper of this fat boy. This stogie certainly won’t win any beauty pageants.
Construction : Rating:
If you can forget appearance, this is actually a fairly well-constructed cigar. Yes, it’s not too straight and it’s bumpy, but the rest is above average. There are minimal wrap lines and the draw is perfect. Take a look at the burn picture and note the ash holding strong more than half-way into the smoke. I have to give this cigar five stars in this category, as the smoke itself was effortless. There were no touch-ups or relights and the stick burned nicely to the nub.
Flavor : Rating:
Here’s where this cigar shines. Although it’s an inexpensive to moderate priced smoke, it is both satisfying and complex. You get a blast of pepper to start, which is immediately followed by nice earthy, leathery tastes. I have noticed other reviews mentioning the absence of sweetness, but mine exhibited a nice chocolate taste probably a third of the way into the experience. The second half picked up in strength and the peppery spice in the cigar started to prevail. Of course, the earthy undertones remained and, to my delight, I detected various parched nut flavors. My only knock on this stick, flavor wise, is a little bitterness, or harshness. It wasn’t enough to devalue the experience, but it was present.
Value : Rating:
At $5 a stick, this is a no-brainer. It’s a very enjoyable, satisfying smoke and is full of flavors. Actually, in looking back at my notes, the only real flavor I didn’t notice was coffee. With the types exhibited, I expected a coffee taste in the second half, but it wasn’t present. Regardless, there are plenty to enjoy.
Overall Rating : Rating:
I really enjoyed this stogie. The relative cheapness of it caused me to go out and pick up a few more in various vitolas. I can’t wait to smoke them!
