Wrapper: Honduran Habano Criollo

Binder: Honduran Corojo

Filler: Honduran Corojo

Size: 5.5 x 42  “Petite Corona”

Body: Medium/Full

Price: $5.00

Nothing worse than a dumb reviewer: Me. I thought for sure that these cigars had gone bye-bye forever a few years ago; and then I look around and see them everywhere.

A year or so ago, I bought a box of the Havana Diademas (8.5 x 60). A behemoth of a cigar. I have two left. So I go out and buy some Petite Coronas knowing that typically they should be very intense in the flavor department. And now I will review one.

This is an actual Honduran puro, chosen above several Cuban cigars in a blind eye test. At least, that’s what I read. I don’t smoke Cubans. I can’t afford Cubans and I don’t trust anyone to sell me the real thing.

The leaves are grown in the Jamastran valley in Honduras, an area where soil and perfect climate are often compared to Cuba’s infamous Vuelta Abajo Region.

The combo of Criollo and Corojo are a dynamite mix. And I am excited to smoke my first one in this size.

Construction is excellent. Very firm in the hand. The smallest of veins. Tight seams. And if must be a triple cap. The wrapper’s color is a tawny/dark brown. The stick is very smooth. And only the slightest of oiliness.

I carefully clip the cap and light up. And note to the reader: At only 5.5 x 42, this will be a short review.

It starts off wonderfully with a blast of pepper and sweetness. Buttery smooth caramel. (I know that term is overused but when it fits, it fits)

In the retrohale, I get a fruity component. Plus loads of earthiness and cocoa. My Lord Jesus! This is a fantastic cigar 3/8” in to it. I knew it. Your Uncle Katman has a sense about things.

The draw is terrific. The buttery part is just that; my lips feel oily like eating a piece of buttered toast. The spice is red pepper.

The burn is making a run for it. I see a tunnel forming and I waste no time in fixing it. I had such a perfect char line til then. This stick is a quick burner.

Quickly, the cigar becomes well balanced. And with an extremely long finish. That fruitiness wasn’t fruit, it was honey.

The burn line just doesn’t want to cooperate. But this time, I’m leaving it alone. With such a small cigar, a little errant behavior is acceptable.

An inch in, the cigar becomes a flavor bomb. It tastes nothing like the huge Diademas I have in my humidor. Those are quite mild and the flavor components may be the same but are way in the background of the smoke.

And now a huge dollop of creaminess appears in swaddling clothes. Is there no end to this charisma? I have 5 of these sticks and I feel they may all be sacrificed to the Son of Kohn today. The Katman will prevail.

This is unusual since I smoke as I write….I can’t keep up with the cigar as I type.

The flavors are making me a crazy man. Complexity, creaminess, buttery smooth, well balanced, long finish, honey, spiciness, and cocoa are doing a paradiddle on my palate. My instincts were good this time as at the halfway point, the char line turns perfect. Huzzah!

And meanwhile, the body is classic medium. No nicotine spins…yet. This is a cigar so complex; you do not want any distractions when you smoke it. Smoke it alone. Do not watch TV. Listen to music. I have the classic R & B station on my TV and with the nice sound bar, it just soars.

I get my Social Security check this Friday and the first thing I will do; that will enrage my wife, is to buy a box of these.

I’m just past the halfway point and the flavor profile really becomes so complex that the flavors are becoming one giant flavor on a stick. I love it that the spiciness stays at a relatively high level throughout the smoke; yet does not impede that entire flavor.

I’m taking a more than the ordinary amount of photos because of the band. The metallic yellow is hard to play right. And my camera is shit! Maybe for Chanukkah, I can convince my wife to buy me a good one.

I am nearing the point of removing the band. And then I remove it with ease.

The body continues to be medium even with only a couple inches left. Although, I would say it is moving towards full; but there ain’t that much cigar left for that to happen.

And there it is…with 2” left, the body moves to full. And now I feel a bit light headed.

The spice really ramps up at this point. My tongue is tingling. And my nose is running. There is an image you may want to erase from your mind.

So, the cigar finishes out just perfectly. Not a single criticism of note. This is a perfect cigar.

I highly recommend this cigar. They are reasonably priced and a real treat to your senses. Kudos Christian Eiroa.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS