San Cristobal De La Habana El Principe – Review
Warms up nicely after the first 1 cm. Not a great deal of complexity, but that’s to be expected in a cigar this size. A little acrid initially, but it settles down to a more muted flavour, with shifting spices and woody notes. Towards the end, a hint of sour gooseberries mellows into something more akin to the inside of an old cupboard full of forgotten files and dust motes swirling around gently with the smoke.
Consistent draw and mild flavours from start to end. It lasted 45 minutes while putting it down occasionally, but more realistically you should expect a 30 minute smoke, perhaps a little longer. A good late morning or afternoon cigar. Pair it with coffee to bring out the best in its flavours. An evening pairing with a decent vintage from Burgandy brought out more of the spice notes without being overpowering or overpowered.
Length: 4 ¼ inches
Ring Gauge: 42
Origin: Cuba
Appearance
Wrapper Colour: Colorada
Rolling: Good
Cut employed: guillotine, shallow cut
Tasting/Flavour
Aroma (Unlit): Lead graphite; Yeast
Cold Draw Aroma (After lighting): Topnote – Sweet spice; Secondary notes – Almond
Cold Draw Flavour: Bitter cocoa
At 1/3: Bittersweet spice, pine
At 2/3: Nutmeg, cardboard
At 3/3: Gooseberries, old wood
Overall
Burn: Consistent throughout.
Ash: Firm and light gray, slight flaking.
Strength: Medium bodied
About The Author
