This is my first formal cigar review, after I decided that I want to record my experiences with each cigar I smoke. I am posting these reviews as amature ones based on my growing experience with cigars so go easy!! This Don Lino is a favorite of mine, though I have not had one in a while... We'll see how it goes!
On my back patio at about 11 o'clock, with a glass of water. Xikar cut, lit with matches. It measures 5x50 box pressed, though seems more like 5x45ish.
Pre-light - A dark, slightly oily stick with a few veins but nothing unpleasant. Vaguely soft to the touch. Smells great, like a good maduro should. Pre-light draw is very loose, bordering too-easy.
Lighting and First Third - Very strong taste immediately after lighting the stick, which mellowed into a creamyness after a few puffs. The draw is better than the pre-light, almost perfect. Each pull provides a dense cloud of smoke with a strong woody flavor and a mild hint of nuts in the background. Too many puffs in a row brings out a more bold, almost bitter flavor; the aftertaste is very toasty. The burn is more even than others of this brand I have had, but still far from perfectly even. I would say the ash is "ragged," as it stays together nicely (enough to get a full inch or so), but has flakes around the edges and is not tight. As the flavors change going into the second third, the stick clearly pronounces itself as a "full bodied" cigar.
Second Third - It has now mellowed out, as all the flavors that were very robust in the first third, are toned down. A mildly sweet flavor, almost like coffee and coco, appears gradually. A background bitterness is still there, though it is not impeding my enjoyment of the cigar. I am feeling this cigar's power more now, and the little "cigar-buzz" is nice. The burn continues to be inconsistent, which I see as the main drawback so far. The toastyness has paired with a bit of spice, and become the main flavor now.
Third Third - Moving into the later part of the stick, there is still some wood notes, though the robust toastyness has taken over with the mild coffee flavor. Draw is still fantastic and I have not noticed any heat while smoking yet. An earthy-burnt flavor appears about an inch and a half away from the end -it has become more complex, though a tad harsh.
Conclusion and Score - Being that this was one of the first good cigars I ever smoked (about 2 or 3 years ago), it has some sentimental taste and feel value for me. The ones I had a while back seemed to be a bit better than the newer batches, though I still enjoyed this a great deal. The flavor changes throughout were interesting, with a toasty one being present almost throughout. The burn, as always, was a bit disappointing, but had no effect on the actual smoking (no need to relight). I would give this an 88 or 89 score, though with 2 or 3 years of age I believe the harshness would dissipate and could reach for the 90-91 range (though 91 being a stretch). I have a few torpedoes from 2 years back in the humidor, and am excited to see how they have turned out.
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