Sobremesa Corona Grande

From: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust (Steve Saka)
Vitola: 5.25 inches by 44 ring gauge (Parejo)
Capa: La Meca Ecuador Habano #1 Rosado
Capote: Matacapan Negro de Temporal
Tripa: Nicaraguan Gk Condega C-SG Seco, Nicaraguan Pueblo Nuevo Criollo Viso, Nicaraguan La Joya Esteli C-98 Viso, Nicaraguan ASP Esteli Hybrid Ligero, USA Lancaster County Broadleaf Ligero

The wrapper looked a bit rustic (by ‘rustic’, I mean it was not perfectly flat and smooth, which does not bother me), but smelled wonderful. And the cigar had a nice firm bunch. The Corona Grande clipped easily and had a perfect draw.

My first puffs revealed a complexity that was more than I had expected. And knowing how exacting Mr. Saka is with his cigars, my expectations were pretty high. I was experiencing a huge mouthful of toasted tobacco and leather with a light spiciness. The burn was razor-straight, and the ash was light grey and firm. To this point, it was a medium to full-bodied cigar, giving off plenty of smoke.

Pepper notes kicked in after the first third of the cigar, along with smoother leather tones and steady strong tobacco flavors. A light sweetness developed on the lips, and the cigar did not heat up.

At the two-thirds mark, some cinnamon notes developed to mix with the other flavors, which continued to deepen until I was forced to put the cigar down with less than one inch left.