I Love You, You're Perfect... Now Change! A Husband and Wife POV Review
90+_Irishman
Posts: 12,409 ✭✭✭✭✭
Well folks after a few weeks of waiting it's finally upon us, breaking ground and Ccom forum history by doing the first husband and wife review sessions! As I type this my beautiful bride Amanda (AKA IrishAJ) and I are finishing up our first tag team review on the back patio in a gorgeous Colorado summer afternoon. A VERY BIG thank you and shout out to my friend and mentor Mr. Sniper for sending us the fiver of San Cristobal Elegancia's for our first reviews! Glen, you're a man among men and a brother to us all, thank you sir for a brilliant set of cigars and for putting a smile on my wife's beautiful face 
Our reviews will be typed up and pictures posted by 9 pm MST this evening. Thank you one and all who have encouraged us and challenged us to break ground and dare to be different!
Our reviews will be typed up and pictures posted by 9 pm MST this evening. Thank you one and all who have encouraged us and challenged us to break ground and dare to be different! "When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
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Comments
San Cristobal Elegancia
Wrapper: Light brown, minimal tooth
Foot: Strong hay, light chocolate, black pepper
Lick: No distinguishable flavor
First Light: A touch of sweet and black pepper. The strength of the dry hay flavor makes it almost taste like a cardboard box that was used for transporting chocolate bars. It mellows to a very contradictory creamy peppery bite.
Halfway Point: Cinnamon and chocolate mostly. Unfortunately the draw got very tight in the center and had to poke it to cure a never ending pepper bite after the cinnamon flavor. Hints of caramel and dried sweet grass toke over after the post poking draw. There was a wonderful sweet vanilla cream undertone for the rest of the cigar.
Final Thoughts: Overall I have a tendency to find every bum cigar in Bretts humidor that is not one of my infused ones, but as a bum cigar goes it is at my top as still very enjoyable if not at its peak. It works perfectly for a kick back and look fancy cigar on the patio on a nice summer evening, very pleasing to the taste buds and a wonderful cinnamon smoke.
I hope you all enjoy a very good smoke with your loved one/s as well!
Manufacturer: My Father Tabacaleras
Size: Imperial 6 X 52
Blender: Don Pepin Garcia
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade Grown
Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan
Draw: The draw was a slight bit tight before lighting with a touch of resistance, but after it burned for a few minutes it opened right up and was fantastic! 9/10 pts
Burn: I smoked this with a moderate breeze in the afternoon, it affected it slightly but minus that the burn was razor sharp. 9/10 pts
Construction: There were about three major veins in the leaf with moderate tooth to it, but felt heavy in the hand. No issues throughout the smoke with construction, but I also wouldnt call it a pretty cigar. 8.5/10 pts
Body: The Elegancia started off on the high side of mild and by the half was a solid medium. If you smoke it down to the nub, expect to hit at the end a medium plus or the short side of full bodied. 10/10 pts
Smoke Time: 1hr 15 min
Smoking Experience:
From the first light I could tell there was going to be a lot going on here; heavy notes of burnt caramel, cedar, cashew and a very aged and dry leather were fantastic. A spice and pepper on the back of the throat was actually quite pleasant and reminds me that this is solidly a DPG blend. After the initial spice and pepper blast it mellow immediately into a indescribably creamy vanilla, cedar, leather, sweet grass, number and ends on the retrohale in a very sweet and chewy cashew deliciousness!
The balance is truly superb so far being rich and robust but not too strong or too much for the mild body as of now. The body is however slightly stronger than the shade and strain of wrapper would lead you to believe, but the profile is so smooth and rich that the medium body it is growing into, helps to give it enough kick to highlight a harmony and balance against the rich assault on the palate and senses. After the first inch, I see the first distinct change. A charred oak presents itself as the cool smoke initially this your tongue and then quite seamlessly rolls into a caramelized sugar. As it moves through the mouth it gets a heavy and velvety mouth-feel to it with a malt like quality from the combination of the leather, caramel, vanilla and dried hay. The retrohale and finish is still distinctly nutty and as earlier reminds me of a chewy cashew. There is a moderate breeze as I smoke this alongside my beautiful bride that causes the burn to turn slightly wavy, but aside from that the burn is sharp, with a dense peppery ash. The dominate core of the Elegancia is; rugged and aged leather, caramel, cashew, and a heavy malt that I mentioned earlier. The undertones (underlying flavors that to me carry the profile) would be the dry hay and a subtle yet robust black pepper that keeps it balanced and interesting with a touch of black coffee. The highlights (bright sharp notes that highlight a profile) would be a milk chocolate and red oak. Every draw seems similar but also entirely different; highly complex and utterly balanced and blended seamlessly. The ash is still holding strong at 2 and no touch ups have been needed yet. The smoke is quite dense and very cool, what Id call a mellow cigar that still seems to demand your attention too.
Well into the second third and the body begins to steadily build into the medium-full range but with a much stronger core of oak/leather/cedar. The hay moves to the undertones as with the caramel and cashew, while the chocolate becomes a SWEET dark chocolate without the bitter finish, with espresso and cream through the nose. It is significantly fuller in body and heavier in flavor and tones than when it started, and if unbanded with no prior knowledge on the stick, it would immediately scream classic DPG profile and tone. A zest creeps its way in past the half that is smoky and sweet pepper, similar to a chipotle spice or jalapeno jelly (very popular in Colorado and is ****!). It comes in on the finish and with the growth in profile and body helps to add depth and dimension to its progression. The nutty core has grown on the front and is now more of a roasted/salted peanut with a burnt caramel touch. For me, the highlight and hallmark of the Elegancia is how deceptive and balanced it is. It has far more strength and far more rich of a profile than the wrapper would lead you to believe. In that sense it is a highly deceptive cigar, and the fact that the balance and body grow in harmony to compliment and challenge each other is its most remarkable asset. The end of the cigar finishes in classic DPG style bold and smooth with a smoky spice that lingers and coats all of your sense. Is this a cigar Id revisit? Short answer H3ll Yes. Will this be a cigar for the humidor long term? You better bet your azz it is Thanks Glen, this one truly ROCKS!
Rating Scale:
Balance: 25 out of 25 pts. Ive yet to have a DPG blend that wasnt perfectly balanced.
Construction: 16 out of 20 pts. The wrapper was a bit too toothy for a Connie and looked too rugged.
Draw: 18 out of 20 pts. The tight draw initially hurt it, but an inch in it became great.
Flavor: 19 out of 20 pts. Man, for a Connie wrapper this really packed a ton of flavor!
Wow Factor: 12 out of 15 pts. The wow factor didnt hit me until the end, it really takes you by surprise if you hang with it.
Total Score: 90 Points
to A quick something to add to the review of the Elegancia - Ive had this stick in a few different sizes, and its one of those where the vitola DOES change the smoking experience from size to size. While Ive never had the Elegancia in the size reviewed here, I would rate the sizes I have had thusly:
Robusto - PHENOMENAL!
Churchill - a SLIGHT cut below the robusto, and its got a little more oomph, and
Pyramide - uhhhh.... what happened here? Very different experience and for me, not in a good way.
One final note on this cool new thread - YOU TWO...
... are INCREDIBLY CUTE together!!! :-D Again, hope very much to be reading reviews on page 77 of this thread some day. ROCK ON 90+ & AJ!
I really feel like crap that the Elegancia wasnt a good experience for you Amanda. I sent it in the size I did because a little birdie told me you like the smaller sizes. If you ever get the chance, you should definitely give it a shot in the robusto. Id send you some to do just that, but alas - I smoked all mine up. :-(
Nice work]
After you read that, if you still are offended I will take the quote out. With 7 surgeries between two knees, I just dont dodge frozen pineapples like I used to. :-)
All good? All good, you say?!?
I call BS!! There's frozen pineapple involved, for Chrisakes!