Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo (Grade 5 & 6)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (Jalapa & Esteli), Brazilian
Size: 4.875 x 50 “Robusto”
Body: Medium
Price: $6.00
Roberto Duran unveiled Azan Cigars at the 2013 IPCPR trade show.
The cigar line comes in three blends: Premium White, Burgundy and Maduro Natural.
I am reviewing the Premium White and the Burgundy.
First, the White.
The cigars come in boxes of 10.
Construction is solid. The wrapper is a medium brown color with only a few veins and tight seams. There is a bit of oil and the wrapper is very smooth. The single cap is well done.
I clip the cap and find aromas of sweet spices, cocoa, ginger, spice, and coffee.
Time to light up.
The cigar starts off with a big blast of red pepper. The draw is great. There is a very nutty element to the profile. And it is very, very toasty.
The smoke is blinding me making it hard to chomp and write.
A really nice sweetness occurs. With a butterscotch chaser.
I’ve had these cigars about a month or so and I recommend allowing at least that time span before smoking.
The strength sits right on top of medium bodied but feels like it will get stronger.
The cocoa arrives with a bit of creaminess. The spiciness is still pumping out large doses.
I am reviewing two Azan cigars at once because the Burgundy is so small. It will follow this review.
The char line is close to dead nuts.
I begin the second third and the cigar is an official flavor bomb.
Here they are in order: Spice, creaminess, cocoa, coffee, toastiness, sweetness, and butterscotch.
This is a very nice and pleasant cigar. But nothing I haven’t tasted in dozens of other Nicaraguan based sticks in the $6.00, or less, range.
I near the halfway point. The char line goes wavy on me and it needs a touch up.
The sweet components and creaminess are driving the bus at this point. The pepper has moved towards the back of the line.
At the halfway mark, there are no significant changes. Still a nice cigar. The price point is probably right on target. If it were any more than this…I don’t know.
The last third begins.
The pepper is making a comeback. A little bit of harshness appears.
So far, I don’t experience any complexity. Just lots of flavor.
The cigar band comes off like a champ.
The flavors were a bit subdued coming into the last third but are now making resurgence. Lots of creaminess, sweetness, cocoa, butterscotch, and some type of fruitiness. The toastiness has moved to the back. So has the coffee component.
The single touch up of the char line seems to have fixed the problem. It has a nice even burn line now.
The cigar finishes up a little hot. And the strength seems to be more medium/full than the advertised medium body. That’s OK with me.
The company doesn’t have an up and running web site yet but they are on Face Book.
The cigar can only be had in B & M stores. I don’t know if they have plans to make them available to online stores.
This is a nice little cigar. My only criticism is that bit of harshness near the end. Other than that, it is worth your time to track them down and get yourself some and decide for yourself.
Now on to the Burgundy:
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Cuban Seed Corojo (Grade 3 and 4)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 4.387 x 46 “Short Campana”
Body: Medium
Price: $3.50
Construction is good. A nice solid little fire cracker. Tight seams and very little veins. The wrapper is a light brown and feels very smooth. There is a nice bit of oil on the wrapper. The cap is very well executed.
I clip the cap and find aromas of sweetness, cocoa, spice, and peach.
Time to light up.
It starts off very toasty and sweet. The draw is very good. There is a graham cracker quality to it.
Cocoa shows up and with the graham cracker flavor all that is missing is the marshmallow.
The burn line goes wavy on me so I correct it. Same thing happened with the White and no troubles after that.
I’m digging the graham cracker flavor.
And then I get a V burn on one side. Another correction needed or it will canoe.
The spiciness shows up and really smacks me hard in the puss. Very spicy. Red pepper.
At the 1” mark, the flavor profile is not as bold as the White. The sweetness and the cocoa move to the background. The graham cracker holds its own. The pepper is driving the bus.
A little stick like this should be a flavor bomb. So far, it has a lot to show me.
I get a note of harshness. And a little bitter. I’m sure touching it up a couple times didn’t help.
I reviewed this cigar back in early September of 2013. And I did not care for it. So they sent me some more hoping I just got a bad batch.
Everyone deserves a second chance and the cigar they came riding in on.
I’m at the halfway point and no changes except the harshness has disappeared. So has the bitterness.
But I am just not getting the flavors I had hoped for. It is sort of dormant. With only 2” to go, it should be a show off by now.
The only flavors still making an impact are the graham cracker and pepper. There is some earthiness but that’s it.
Time to remove the cigar band. Comes of easy peasy.
At this point, I’d have to say that the White blend is much better. More flavorful.
This is just an ordinary inexpensive cigar.
The harshness returns. If I weren’t reviewing it, I’d have put it down by now. Just not my style.
The strength is a solid medium body.
The cigar finishes up without much change. The flavor profile is very subdued. And it is beginning to get hot.
I wish I had better news for the Azan folks. I really had hoped that I did get a bad batch last time. But it is what it is. The good news is that this is the perfect cigar for newbies.
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by Phil 'Katman' Kohn 
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