CLE Azabache (Robusto / Box Pressed)

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[1/2 of review]


Mostly maduro-y goodness at first. It's dark, charry, and reminded of the taste of the finely grounded coffee bean "dust" that collects on the bottom of a cuppa joe or cold brew. It's not heavy, but the maduro is very present.

Near, maybe an inch in, I noticed the gradual shift from the maduro-centered taste to emerging flavors while the maduro moves closer to the background. It didn't happen within a puff or two, and was pretty cool to taste the shift progress.

All while this was happening there was something I could not put my finger on with what I thought was a draw issue. I kept puffing away and disregarded it. I had to look up a review to help me determine what it was. There's four words in the below review thay describe it perfectly - "bit thin in body". Overall this review is a great reference:

https://halfwheel.com/cle-azabache-5-x-50/114483/

I earlier described this cigar as "odd" to a fellow Bum. I literally could not tell how much "smoke" was inhaled, because there's no real taste immediately off the inhale, and I couldn't tell the volume of "smoke" within my mouth. It was kinda strange, and a definite first for me.20201113_152001.jpg20201113_153953.jpg

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[2/2]

There's a lot of flavors going on with the Azabache, and they're all intermixed very nicely. I really enjoyed going with very SLOW retrohales with this stick, and I believe this is the way to go, due to the "thin body". I did try not so slow retrohales, but everything became pretty indiscernable, and nowhere near as pleasurable.

A fiery kind of pepper builds from the start, and I wouldn't say powerful - just a nice addition. Towards the end the burn picks up.

There's a slight sweetness and citrus flavor throughout. To me, it tasted like powdered candies that remind me of Smarties. Sometimes it became more orange fruit citrusy. Licorice is also wound within.

Leather is present, but not heavy, and it's probably a step up from subtle. Along with the leather, there's a spice that seems on the same level of intensity.

Burn wasn't razor sharp, but not bad.

Trial By Smoke Judgement:

Great cigar with interesting flavors, though a bit odd. CLE has always been on my radar, but I believe this may have been my first core brand smoke, and boy, was it nice. I've checked out and enjoyed Asylum and the Eiroa sub-brands, and I believe CLE may sit in between the two, quality and cost-wise. This stick really makes me want to run through the rest of the CLE offerings, because I'm thinking they'll all be damn good. Worth the $8-9 I paid at the B&M. Highly recommended.