Estd. 1844 by AJ Fernandez Review

[Laynard]

Cigar: Estd. 1844 Anejado No. 54
Size: Perfecto, 5.7"x54
MSRP: $6.11
Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper: San Andres Maduro
Origin: Nicaragua



Prelight: The wrapper on this cigar is… well, quite frankly it’s ugly. The seams aren’t tight, there are numerous veins, and there is sporadic tooth that is lighter than the rest of the otherwise dark chocolate colored wrapper. The foot is held together with a strip of wrapper leaf that looks like it’s going to fall off. But, it smells delightful: sawdust, flowers, and barnyard. The foot is musty and the cold draw tastes of oak and baker’s chocolate.



1/3: I love how perfectos light so easily, and this one is no different. I don’t get an insane pepper blast on the first few puffs, but there is some spice to this cigar, as well as some dark chocolate – the kind that is like 86% cacao – and it is a tad bitter. Soon, a woody flavor replaces the mild pepper taste I was picking up and cream also presents itself. There is also hints of leather and coffee, and earth. Wow, this first third has a lot going on. By the end of the first third, things have calmed down a bit and the profile consists of wood (with a bit of spice to it), coffee, and cream.



2/3: The bitter, dark chocolate comes back in the second third, as well as some hay flavors. Fortunately, these bitter tones are complemented with cream, leather and earth. The ash lasts until I hit the halfway point in the cigar. The profile undulates a bit throughout this third, but ends primarily wood, hay, and dark chocolate.



3/3: The final third maintains the theme of wood, hay, and dark chocolate. Once in a while, I detect leather or earth or cream, but they are always fleeting and faint.

Overall: A pretty good cigar the smokes a lot better than it looks. Appearance aside, the construction was great and the cigar performed beautifully. The flavors were interesting and more complex than I anticipated. Although primarily sort of a bitter wood flavor, other earthy flavors came and went to make it interesting. And, considering these can be had regularly on the cheap, this cigar scores high in my book.

[AK47]

Nice review. I had the 50xtra and really liked it.