La Herencia Cubana Dos Capas Review

[Laynard]

Cigar: La Herencia Cubana Dos Capas by A.J. Fernandez
Size: Toro, 6.0"x52
MSRP: $6.50
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra/Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Origin: Nicaragua



Prelight: Call me a sucker for gimmicks, but I love barber poles. They just look cool, and I like the idea of mixing two flavors of wrappers. Both of the wrappers on this cigar look pretty good; both have a few veins but both have lots of tooth as well. The wrappers are giving off quite the earthy, barnyard aroma. The cap is lifting up a bit at one spot, but I should be able to clip it without a problem, and the foot is emitting a pleasant chocolaty, woody scent that is firing up my taste buds. The cold draw is very dry – dusty and earthy wood with hints of cocoa.



1/3: There is some decent black pepper starting off, but not so intense as to burn my nose in the retrohale (for which I am thankful). There is also some bittersweet chocolate that is pleasant, and a slight woodiness to the profile. I notice the burn is getting a little lopsided, but nothing too concerning at this point, and the ash is bright white. Suddenly, I am getting very little smoke and I realize that the burn line hasn’t moved in some time. I knock off the ash and to my chagrin, I see a tunnel burrowing through the middle of the cigar. I am effectively smoking a straw now.



I clip where the tunnel seems to end.



Success – the pull is much better and the flavors are back! But, they are simply the same pepper, bittersweet chocolate and wood.



2/3: The second third is mainly cedar with some pepper and slight chocolate. The wrapper stopped burning again though. I check my ambient humidity and it’s sitting right at 45%. This cigar has been resting at 63% in my humidor for months. What gives? I knock off the ash again and this time see two wholes!
Whatever. I’m done fighting this thing. I resolve to continue doing what I do and let the cigar either work itself out or die in my hands. The cigar, fortunately, gets it’s act together and seems to correct itself. There are notes of dry hay as the pepper fades, and these flavors mingle with the wood and chocolate. The once cedary wood now tastes earthier, like oak.



3/3: The cigar doesn’t look to good going into the final third with ash flowering out and burn line wavy. It doesn’t taste too good either. It’s getting bad bitter and all sweetness has left. This is not nubworthy and I put it done tasting bitterness, oak, and dusty hay.

Overall: Proof that appearances can be deceiving. I was really looking forward to a sweet and spicy Dos Capas, but instead was plagued with burn issues and disappointing flavors that are on par with a Gurkha. Someone please tell me that I got a dud. Everyone has a first day of work, and I feel I got the product of a torcedor’s first day.

[Billb1960]

I've smoked about a half dozen or more of those and never had that problem. I'm pretty sure you got a dud.