Wrapper: Unknown

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: 6.5 x 49

Body: Medium/Full

Price: $ Unknown (Possibly $7-$9)

I am heading into this review completely blindfolded. The Honest Abe selection in the Ortega Wild Bunch series of 12 cigars; one per month for 2013, is the June, or 6^th cigar in this series.

I was able to glean tiny bits of info about the cigar but hardly information that helped me in understanding the cigar’s background. I do know that the cigar was manufactured at the My Father factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.

I look at the cartoon of Honest Abe and it’s gotta’ be Abe Dababneh, owner of Smoke Inn. Everyone loves Abe.

I will dig right into it…the stick has a lot of veins…some very large. The stick is a medium brown. And a slight toothiness. The cap appears to be a single cap. In sunlight, the cigar has a bright oily sheen. The sunlight brings out a reddish hue which makes me wonder if the wrapper is Ecuadorian.

I sniff it and detect sweetness, huge amounts of cocoa at the foot, and a very floral scent.

I clip it and light up.

The first puffs are spicy. And it is rising at an amazing rate. This is a Garcia pepper blast. I like. There is a lovely sweetness. We have caramel. As I puff, I can taste the caramel deeply at the back of my mouth. This is the strongest caramel I’ve ever tasted. And right behind it, is the cocoa.

The char line is perfect. The draw is perfect and the flavors are dying to expose themselves. I reviewed the April and May cigars in the last two days and both were excellent. So is this stick. I’m not even an inch in and this stick is a flavor bomb. Well, the team of Ortega and Garcia just can’t seem to do any wrong. I’ve never met Pepin Garcia but based on all of the cigars he has blended in partnership with big name companies, he is their muse. If Garcia never existed, how much effect would that have had on the cigar industry? I can’t think of anyone that has the niche that Pepin does.

I hit the 1” mark and the spice has calmed down a bit; or my palate has been scorched and I can no longer taste anything. There is some leather now. The pepper made the cigar feel like it was full bodied right away, but now that it has been tamped down; the cigar is truly a classic medium. The char line continues to be perfect.

And here comes the buttery smooth creaminess. It forces the flavors of cocoa and caramel to the surface and over take the spiciness.

I had to measure the cigar for the stats at the top of the page. The stick is out of round so I could be off by several 64^th’s of an inch on this matter. But you can take the 6.5” to the bank.

The cigar begins to hunker down and some earthiness rounds out the flavor profile. The earthiness seems to take the cigar to the next level by moving towards a complex portrait.

The first third ends and I am having fun. The draw doesn’t miss a step and the char line is “right on.” (Remember, I’m 63.) “All we are say-ing, is give Peace a chance.”

The spiciness has really turned down its power. In its place, the trifecta of creaminess, cocoa and sweet caramel are in the main ring. Based on the cigar ash, I would not hesitate to declare this the best rolled cigar of the 6. The other 5 had minor burn issues. Nothing off putting, but they were there. On this stick, it is perfect. So now I’m worried about the ash falling into my lap or on to my laptop keyboard.

There is not much I can add at this point other than to say this is a delicious cigar. I could smoke another one right after this one. When they hit the stores, I’m there.

The halfway point continues to increase the intensity of the flavors.

I think I can taste some coffee. The caramel would have brought that out. It has now become a Starbuck’s concoction. The sweetness feels so real that I am smacking my lips as if they were sticky from sugar.

Here is the last third. The flavor intensity is just friggin’ ridiculous. The coffee has moved up in the line as the caramel continues to get stronger. Cocoa is right there as well.

It is at this point, that the power of the cigar gets stronger. I can feel the nicotine buzz now. But I would still categorize this cigar as medium/full bodied.

Apparently, I am very fickle because now I choose Honest Abe as my fave of the 6 blends. What is truly impressive is that all of the cigars are completely different from each other. I can’t wait for the other 6 to come to the market place. I will stick my neck out and say this cigar will be in the $7-$9 range.

This has to be a first for any blender. To do a 12 cigar series is a monumental project. I can’t compliment the Ortega people enough for achieving this feat.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS