Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5 x 56 Box Pressed Robusto Grande
Strength: Full
Price: $15.00
My cigars have had two months naked humidor time.
BACKGROUND:
Factory: Tabacalera A.J. Fernández Cigars de Nicaragua
The cigar spent 5 years in development.
The Nicaraguan binder and filler come from the AJ Fernandez farms.
If you would like to read the backstory of Artesano Del Tobacco, go to their website.
El Pulpo, in Spanish, means The Octupus.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
Either I’m having a stroke, or I can barely smell anything from the wrapper. The tiniest amount of black pepper spice, dark chocolate, espresso, malt, and licorice.
The cigar has some nice weight to it. The draw and resistance is just how daddy likes it. My PerfecDraw just sits there, staring at me with that stupid smile.
First up is fried octopus.
AJ’s influence sticks the landing. I know I’m smoking one of his blends. How strange it must be to be so identifiable by the way one blends a cigar. Quite the feat.
Slightly complex but not killing it from the first few puffs. All of AJ’s blends need 3-4 months at least in your humidor…naked of course, before they really shine.
Not a single source for cigar industry information says if this cigar is limited production or regular production. A couple mainline stores have this cigar, but the usual suspects of boutique stores are sold out. I am so confused…and hence, I am reviewing this cigar most probably before it is ready. Did I goof?
The blend is just OK ¾” in. A slight burn issue that I hope resolves itself.
Artesano Del Tobacco’s Viva La Vida cigar was a big hit. This blend is the follow up.
I’m not impressed.
Nothing bold about this stick. Flavors are muted. Strength is medium. It is advertised as full tilt, but I guess that trainwreck is further on down the line.
It will be a good AJ blend in a few months. My third eye tells me I am only tasting blender’s intent at this juncture. But to be honest, I expected more. A bigger bash at the start would have been nice. Instead, it is a lamb, not a lion.
The burn self corrects at 1-1/2” burned. 20 minutes.
The cigar was released in early May of this year.
And no cigar reviews. I fucking knew it. Like the rest of my comrades, I should have ignored this cigar until a later date hoping it would blossom with time. Or just ignored it completely.
The Viva La Vida was a much better blend and flourished with little humidor time.
So, I could either scrap this review and wait a few months…or get on with it.
This cigar could be a San Lotano, a Southern Draw, a New World Dorado, or an AJ Hoyo La Amistad.
Stogie Press had a pre-release of the cigar a year ago and gave it a 92. SP is like me in that we reward good cigars with high ratings. So, a 92 is good, but not great.
I am wholeheartedly in agreement with Stogie Press. There are light notes of dark chocolate, espresso, generic fruit sweetness, unami, and walnut. But the cigar is bereft of any significant richness or complexity. It’s just a decent blend by AJ that is overpriced.
The blend is improving in flavor, but not style. Too bad. AJ and friends missed the target completely. Not the best choice for the Viva La Vida second act.
I am convinced that with time, the cigar will improve. There are hints of promise like any good AJ blend. Just not yet. 2 months was my screw up.
The second half improves. Finally. Hints of depth begin to show themselves. Complexity arises from its hibernation. Zero transitions. The finish is warm and earthy.
Strength is medium/full.
I was expecting an uppercut and a right cross at the same time based on the cigar being billed as full strength. I thought it would hit me like a bus from the get-go. Nope.
Now I am beginning to feel stupid as the cigar shows life. Two things. I am correct in assuming the cigar will shine with 3-6 months of naked humidor time or it is what it is: a good cigar that needs to warm up before it takes its boxers off and goes to work.
“Red Rooster” by guitarist Albert Cummings. Yeah, I love the blues. Traditional and contemporary. As a teen musician in the 60’s, I had all the traditional blues artists’ albums. Helped a lot in understanding rock n roll during that moment in time.
The Octopus is a good AJ blend. Is it worth $15? Nope.
Strength is full. Let the swooning begin.
2” to go and the cigar is much better than its flawed beginning. It just isn’t a fatty. Its skirts are too loose and way above the knee.
I’m so old (How old are you?) that I remember teen girls wearing miniskirts, but at school, the skirt could not be above the knee. And not a single girl ever wore jeans or pants. Yikes. I should be dead by now.
The exact flavors I described are in force without a single additive to the recipe.
If this cigar was a $7 stick, I’d say get all you can.
I’ve commented to countless doctors that we Boomers were supposed to live longer than our parents, and we are not. The doctors agreed and added that the generations that came after us are not going to live as long as Boomers. This is not good news. We are dwindling as a species to make room for more people on the planet. I wonder how that will affect cigar prices.
The cigar oozes towards the finish line and its flavor profile is in stasis. No point in nubbing.
I’m disappointed.
You can purchase these cigars from two sponsors: Small Batch Cigar (10% off with promo code ‘katman’) and Atlantic Cigar (no promo code).
RATING: 88
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by the Katman 
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