Each: $11.50
Capa: Ecuador Connecticut
Capote: Ecuador
Tripa: Nicaragua & Peru
La Fuerza: Medium
Forma: 5 ½ x 52
Fabricante: Joya de Nicaragua

First Half:
Floral, burgundy grapes, caramel, and golden honey. Aromas like this should be savored. Katman and I would measure nose sizes. He won. Still, lingering with a golden tube of cigar tobacco on my upper lip is the best of the best.

The cold draw is more of the same with the addition of spicy black pepper and freshly baked bread layered on an aged Sam Browne.

I smoked three cigars en route to a review. The cigar has heft. It’s not a spindly stick. A uniform soft box press.

First puffs tell all. I learned this from the Katman. I learned to pay attention to something most smokers pay no attention to. The signals from the first 30 seconds. Buttery croissants, sharp Manuka honey, mild black pepper, caramel, milk chocolate, and balanced notes of Florida in springtime. I’d love to see this blend multiply these notes into something complex.

Before I forget. I did the usual “I’ll see” a couple days after I received them. I tasted possibilities but I didn’t taste balance. Three months later, it’s all there.

Early Summary:
Lovely and easy going. No sharp edges (Katman term that needs repetition). Starts smooth and stays there. A genteel morning smoke with coffee. I enjoy everything about this presentation. But can it stand up to a halfway point assessment? The real test lies in the final couple of inches where harshness can prevail. Ruining the cigar.

Bold banana. My palate reads a fancy liqueur because of the stooge emoticon. It is quickly becoming a dessert cigar but without unpleasant chemical additives. Creaminess and caramel. Burgundy grapes transition from an aroma to a flavor.

First Half Summary:
Just splendid. Not much detail in those two words. As smokers, one thing we love is the unexpected relaxation it affords with the right conditions. Few distractions. Maybe some music. And palate symmetry. Fratello hit the mark. This just does not happen often enough with the bountiful supply we maintain. How many cigars do we circumcise and then two inches in, we toss? Or tough our way through because if it cost $15, we will damn well finish it.

Back to the point. Nice balance. Surprising cohesion. Uniform complexity that built throughout. Subtle flavors. $11 is a good everyday price point. Ten years ago, this would have been a $6 stick. But it isn’t ten years ago. Every man and his brother are charging too much because price gouging has become an accepted way of doing business. Therefore, getting a good cigar for only $11 in the 2020’s, is a brilliant plan.

Second Half Summary:
Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua. How many expensive cigars can you name with this flotilla of canoes. Let me answer that. A lot. Here is a perfect facsimile for ten bucks. If you have promo codes that will help your fellow readers get a deal, please comment below.

I can smoke this cigar all day long. One after another.

The andromorphic blend never loses its flavor objectives. Its design skillfully aims towards a summation that shows off the skill of its creator. While never really approaching a flavor bomb, its nature is to entertain while soothing the savage breast. This is a tranquil cigar blend. Gorgeous colors. Fall colors. The brilliant gold wrapper is your clue of what comes when its life begins to dwindle from man’s greatest invention.

Honey, caramel, milk chocolate, banana, bread, floral, black pepper, and grapes. How many $20+ sticks do you wish tasted like this? Too many to count.

I asked if the Fratello Arlequin Connecticut could make a grand finish. Sort of. New flavors were not introduced. The cigar remained smooth to the end. That is a feat unto itself. So many cigars relinquish the ghost with harshness and power. And decimating a promising start. I wonder how the Katman would finish this review. “Yeah, baby” seems appropriate.

Scoring System 1-100 averaged and rounded up as follows:
Appearance: 92
Construction: 93
Aroma, Draw, & Burn: 93
Complexity: 91
Balance: 92
Final Score: 92

An Introduction:
I first met the Katman in 2006. I was visiting relatives in Chicago. Phil had not yet become the cigar bon vivant we’ve all come to love, but we shared a passion for good cigars. We became fast friends over these last 18 years. He joyfully shared his wealth of knowledge with me. I will try to follow his lead in providing entertaining cigar reviews.

I’ve been a cigar smoker for 19 years. I reside in Florida. I am descended from immigrants from Cuba. I am married with three children. I enjoy playing golf. I am an avid fitness trainer. I am a great cook. I am a Big Brother. I have opinions about good cigars and bad cigars. I will offer up both in this and future reports. Like my predecessor’s creed, I believe that brutal honesty is vital in winning a reader’s trust.
All hail the Katman. Call me Kittenman. Daniel Pérez for short.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS