I agree kuzi. It's definitely one of the best Connecticut's I've had, and will be a constant staple in my humidor
big chunks:
how do the san lotano connecticut compare to the ep carrillo new wave, ive tried the new wave i enjoyed it, and i really want to try the San lotano connecticut
I haven't had the New Wave yet, but I'd be willing to say that you'd most likely enjoy the SL Connecticut. brbr
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset "A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you."Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb
Great review dbeck... You took the time and put in the effort.
I just now burnt one of these. For me, that missing thing you can't put your finger on is like this: Imagine one of those chocolates in a box that has orange jelly inside it. Just like that. I got soft soft wood, citrus, and chocolate. A truly unique and wonderful Connecticut. Dunno that I could make a daily thing out of it, but it rates a full five stars for an uncommon Connie done so differently and so well.
“It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)
Great review dbeck... You took the time and put in the effort.
I just now burnt one of these. For me, that missing thing you can't put your finger on is like this: Imagine one of those chocolates in a box that has orange jelly inside it. Just like that. I got soft soft wood, citrus, and chocolate. A truly unique and wonderful Connecticut. Dunno that I could make a daily thing out of it, but it rates a full five stars for an uncommon Connie done so differently and so well.
Thank you sir. Since that review I've burned through and shared several boxes of SL Connie's, and I love em even more now than I did then. They're just mild enough to enjoy in the morning with a cup of coffee, yet complex enough to have after a hearty dinner.
I just realized that I haven't posted a review in a while.
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset "A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you."Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb
Great review dbeck... You took the time and put in the effort.
I just now burnt one of these. For me, that missing thing you can't put your finger on is like this: Imagine one of those chocolates in a box that has orange jelly inside it. Just like that. I got soft soft wood, citrus, and chocolate. A truly unique and wonderful Connecticut. Dunno that I could make a daily thing out of it, but it rates a full five stars for an uncommon Connie done so differently and so well.
Thank you sir. Since that review I've burned through and shared several boxes of SL Connie's, and I love em even more now than I did then. They're just mild enough to enjoy in the morning with a cup of coffee, yet complex enough to have after a hearty dinner.
I just realized that I haven't posted a review in a while.
The first thing I notice as I remove the cellophane on the San Lotano Connecticut is a sweet, creamy, honey and nut aroma, with a mild, sweet tobacco and honey with some light spice at the foot.
The slick, golden shade grown wrapper has minimal veins, tight nearly invisible seams, and a perfectly applied triple cap. It is well packed with a nice weight and a firm springiness from head to foot.
As always when reviewing a cigar, I use my double guillotine cutter to remove just the thinnest sliver of the cap, revealing a light draw with just a hint of resistance. The cold draw has a light, sweet tobacco flavor. A taste of the cap leaves a sweet, spicy tobacco flavor on my lips and tongue.
As I toast the foot, the smoke has a sweet, woody aroma with a hint of fresh roasted coffee. The initial puffs have a woody flavor, with some moderate dry spice and pepper notes that carry through the retrohale and linger long into a dry, woody finish.
Progressing into the first third, I begin to pick up a light, sweet cream over a cedary base, with some dry spice and nutty flavors evident through the retrohale. The smoke has a medium, creamy finish with a distinct nuttiness, some sweetness, and light spice. I'd say the strength is nearing medium at the end of the first third.
The middle third flavors are dominated by roasted nuts, with some sweet cream, spice and cedar, while the retrohale continues to provide some dry spice and nutty flavors. The finish remains medium length, with a creamy cedar base, some roasted nuts and a lingering spice. The strength seems to have decreased somewhat to a more mild-medium range.
The final third brings some coffee notes to a base of roasted nuts, with some cedar and a light spice evident on the retrohale. The finish is now long and creamy, having a bold roasted nut flavor, with notes of cedar and peppery spice lingering long after each puff. The strength has picked back up a bit, building to a solid medium at the end.
The San Lotano Connecticut is surprisingly full flavored for a mild to medium bodied cigar. It burns flawlessly with an excellent draw from start to finish. The ash is compact and firm, holding well past two inches before falling in a solid chunk.
Just broke out one of these with just over a year on it, and I must say they're even better. In addition to the nutty, creamy flavors that I've grown to love in the SL Connie's, I'm getting a light musky note (similar to an AVO). I really can't say enough about these sticks. As I mentioned before, I can enjoy em morning, noon, and night.
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset "A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you."Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb
I just had one of these cigars and wanted to reply that I had the exact same experience with my obsidian belicoso. Very nice experience and just what I was looking for tonight. Wrapper was a tad tight, but a good burn non the less. I would give this cigar an excellent rating for a medium to full bodied maduro. Quality control issues (I've read alot about this) aside, this was my first obsidian and I can't wait to have another. Two thumbs up for me.
Fired up my first (not last) Obsidian last night.
I am loving the morning mouth today with coffee, in fact. As I burnt along, I carefully noted down my impressions in my review app. When I was done, I looked up Obsidian here on the forum. And, close as I can calculate, it's pretty much what he says:
dbeckom:
Obsidian
6.5x52 Belicoso
Wrapper: Brazilian Habano Ligero
Binder: Criollo 98
Filler: Nicaraguan and Dominican
Mfg: Pinar del Rio
Strength: Full
Gifted By BigT06 on 8-27-11
The first thing I noticed when picking up the Obsidian was the very large, black band covering the majority of the cigar body. Its a thick, bold looking band that hints of things to come. My thoughts quickly turn to the removal of the band, and fears of damaging the wrapper in the process. The glue used on the band is quite strong requiring some effort to lift the edge up, but once started the band came off without any damage to the wrapper leaf.
The dark chocolate colored wrapper has an oily, velvety feel to the touch. There are two medium sized veins running from the head, down about half the length of the shaft. The seams are tight and barely visible, with a left hand twist, indicating a left handed torcedor. (I believe this was my first time seeing this!)
The Obsidian has a damp earthy, barnyard aroma with a hint of sweetness. A brisk sniff of the foot gives more of the earthy aroma with a touch of spice. A taste of the cap reveals a sweet and spicy tobacco flavor. The cap has an oily, velvety feel on the lips and tongue.
This being a Belicoso, I used my double guillotine cutter to remove about 1/4", revealing a nice draw with just a hint of resistance. The prelight draw is slightly sweet and earthy. Toasting the foot releases a rich aroma of toasty bread and freshly roasted coffee.
The smoke is thick and chewy from the first puff, very smooth and toasty, with no harshness at all. I'm getting a sweet, spicy bread and creamy hazelnut coffee throughout the first third, and a medium coffee finish, with a hint of bitter spice on the back of the tongue. There's almost no pepper on the retrohale, just a sweet, cinnamon toast flavor. The flavor profile makes me think of a full flavored cigar with a medium body, but the strength at this point is definitely full as I'm already feeling it in my head and belly.
For the middle third, the flavors remain pretty much the same. Sweet hazelnut coffee, spice, and toasty bread abound, with a hint of pepper and toast on the retrohale. There's a touch of leather joining the sweet coffee on a longer finish.
Toward the end of the middle third the flavors shift to a more leathery, spicy coffee, with some increase in the peppery spice on the retrohale. The sweetness has faded from the finish, leaving a pleasant bitter leather with a touch of coffee and a light spice note on the tongue.
For the final third there's some charred meaty notes and savory spice joining the leather and coffee flavors, with a moderate black pepper and sweet spice on the retrohale. The finish is long and leathery with notes of bitter coffee and a touch of spice lingering on the tongue. Some sweetness returns, increasing toward the end.
The ash is light gray and firm, with some minor flaking at the edges. As I expected, the oily Ligero wrapper had some burn issues requiring a few minor touchups, but nothing major. The smoke remained cool, never getting warm from the start to the nub.
The Obsidian is without question a full bodied cigar, as I am feeling it in my head and stomach, but the smoke is surprisingly smooth for a full bodied cigar! Just to pick this cigar up and taste it at any point in the burn, I'd swear it was a solid medium strength at best.
Here's the only places I differ:
- I smoked a robusto, 5 1/2 x 52
- I slid the band off. The overkill sized band made me worry about damaging something tearing at it, but I was able to slip it off intact.
- I don't think a left hand wrap is a left hand torcedor. It's the other side of the leaf. In the few sticks I have rolled, I have run onto that necessity pretty frequently. You want the veins going a certain way, so some leaves you have to roll left.
- I never got spice or bread or hazel nut or cinnamon. But the rest, the sweet black coffee, salty leather, the least sting of black pepper, and so forth -- right spot on.
- The smoke seemed a bit thin to me until the burn settled in. Like beckom says, the wrapper is oily and needs help to fire. I think a narrower gauge might help.
I am no fan whatever of espresso maduros. But this I liked. A lot. Surprised myself. I am working my way through a five pack sampler of PDRs. Previously, I smoked the Sun Grown and Oscuro. The Seleccion, when I pulled it out, it appeared wet and smelt stodgy and felt heavy, so I stuck it back in the box to dry. The other two were just ho hum, not impressed, I can find better three buck cigars. This Obsidian, however, stands head and shoulders above the others. I'd spark another in a heartbeat.
I picked up this sampler from cigar.com via a roundabout method, BTW. Someone here suggested PDR to me. I scored one from a BOTL but haven't fired it. Then a motorcycle gal came by raving about and jonesing for a Bugatti Veyron she'd seen on the toob, lamenting the fact she'd never be able to spare the two mil to buy one, much less the thirty or fifty K a year to maintain one. Kept saying "boo GOT tee!" entranced by the name.Next day, cigar.com sent me a spam advertising a great deal on a Bugatti lighter with free ten pack sampler. Scored it, gave the lighter to her old man to give her on the anniversary of their first date, so here I am with two fivers of PDRs on my hands, might as well smoke through one of them. They are an odd size. I don't find a 5 1/2" anywhere in the catalog, and the 52 ring is a guess. Longer than their robusto and shorter than their toro.
Telling you, the other PDRs I have sparked so far, take them or leave them. But this Obsidian counts.
“It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)
Comments
I haven't had the New Wave yet, but I'd be willing to say that you'd most likely enjoy the SL Connecticut. brbr
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb
I just now burnt one of these. For me, that missing thing you can't put your finger on is like this: Imagine one of those chocolates in a box that has orange jelly inside it. Just like that. I got soft soft wood, citrus, and chocolate. A truly unique and wonderful Connecticut. Dunno that I could make a daily thing out of it, but it rates a full five stars for an uncommon Connie done so differently and so well.
I just realized that I haven't posted a review in a while.
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb
Mooch wants one.......
:-)
"Any cigar smoker is friend, because I know how he feels." Alfred de Musset
"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." Unknown
“A pipe is to the troubled soul what caresses of a mother are for her suffering child.” Indian Proverb
I am loving the morning mouth today with coffee, in fact. As I burnt along, I carefully noted down my impressions in my review app. When I was done, I looked up Obsidian here on the forum. And, close as I can calculate, it's pretty much what he says:
Here's the only places I differ:
- I smoked a robusto, 5 1/2 x 52
- I slid the band off. The overkill sized band made me worry about damaging something tearing at it, but I was able to slip it off intact.
- I don't think a left hand wrap is a left hand torcedor. It's the other side of the leaf. In the few sticks I have rolled, I have run onto that necessity pretty frequently. You want the veins going a certain way, so some leaves you have to roll left.
- I never got spice or bread or hazel nut or cinnamon. But the rest, the sweet black coffee, salty leather, the least sting of black pepper, and so forth -- right spot on.
- The smoke seemed a bit thin to me until the burn settled in. Like beckom says, the wrapper is oily and needs help to fire. I think a narrower gauge might help.
I am no fan whatever of espresso maduros. But this I liked. A lot. Surprised myself. I am working my way through a five pack sampler of PDRs. Previously, I smoked the Sun Grown and Oscuro. The Seleccion, when I pulled it out, it appeared wet and smelt stodgy and felt heavy, so I stuck it back in the box to dry. The other two were just ho hum, not impressed, I can find better three buck cigars. This Obsidian, however, stands head and shoulders above the others. I'd spark another in a heartbeat.
I picked up this sampler from cigar.com via a roundabout method, BTW. Someone here suggested PDR to me. I scored one from a BOTL but haven't fired it. Then a motorcycle gal came by raving about and jonesing for a Bugatti Veyron she'd seen on the toob, lamenting the fact she'd never be able to spare the two mil to buy one, much less the thirty or fifty K a year to maintain one. Kept saying "boo GOT tee!" entranced by the name.Next day, cigar.com sent me a spam advertising a great deal on a Bugatti lighter with free ten pack sampler. Scored it, gave the lighter to her old man to give her on the anniversary of their first date, so here I am with two fivers of PDRs on my hands, might as well smoke through one of them. They are an odd size. I don't find a 5 1/2" anywhere in the catalog, and the 52 ring is a guess. Longer than their robusto and shorter than their toro.
Telling you, the other PDRs I have sparked so far, take them or leave them. But this Obsidian counts.