Serious Cigars had an INSANE deal on these last week. $29.95 for a box of 10. Normal price is $107! I shoulda bought 5 boxes, and I did consider it, but then I remembered that I really didn't like the Herrera Esteli Norteno, so I only grabbed 1 box.
Nice looking wrapper. Some prominent veins but a nice color and nice sheen. Nice sized cigar at 5.75" X 48 RG. Nice weight in the hand. Perfect draw.
First few draws...straightforward tobacco with a bit of grass/hay on the finish.
About 1" in...similar flavors, with a bit more punch. The aroma coming from the foot is a pretty straightforward cigar smell.
About 2" in...settling into a pretty typical full bodied Nicaraguan profile. A bit of bite in the nostrils, that familiar "Nicaraguan spice" on the finish. Near perfect burn, large smoke volume. Side note: I have very rarely smoked a Drew Estate cigar that wasn't perfectly constructed.
About halfway...pretty similar flavor profile, with a woodsy flavor coming in on the finish. Nice smoke so far.
A little past halfway...a bit of a bitterness is creeping in on the finish. I am smoking this cigar ROTT, so I'm curious to see what a few months in the humi will do, but I'm tapping out for now.
Final thoughts...this seems like a cigar that will benefit from a nap in the humidor. But honestly, I'm glad I only bought 1 box. Better than the Norteno, but not as good as the original Herrera Esteli.
