Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Criollo Sungrown
Binder: Nicaraguan Jalapa C98
Filler: Nicaraguan Viso, Dominican Republic C98 Hybrid Ligero, US Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Ligero
Size: 5.625 x 48
Strength: Full
Price: $17.99
Released: July 2022
My cigars received 3 years of naked humidor time.
I reviewed this cigar shortly after it was released. I am curious about how it might taste with a few years of home aging on it…and wondering if the cigar holds up, or has it aged out? I did not read my old review just to keep me on my toes.
This is a Small Batch Cigar Exclusive. My two remaining sticks were buried underneath my lifetime supply of Gurkhas (3 sticks). As I wandered through the ghostly morass of this old man’s dusty libido, I thought what better way to end the work week (for you, not me) and bring you a unique blend from two great folks: Steve Saka and Andrew Considine.
BACKGROUND:
From Steve Saka:
“It is an odd name for a cigar (“Barba Amarilla is the moniker for the venomous Fer-de-Lance. It is a very aggressive snake and the one often regarded as the most dangerous in Nicaragua.), but when I crafted the blend in early 2020 I found myself ‘bit’ by it. Not only was it potent, but it really held my attention – there is something about its spicy, sweet cedar core that is hard to describe, yet so alluring. My first thought was ‘oh this is going to be dangerous for my wallet…’, hence the name. It is a very complex liga that includes seven different sun grown tobaccos and an unusual recipe as it is solely a combination of Viso and Ligero long-leaf tripas.
“To temper its peppery bite I decided to rest these longer in the cool rooms and I am so glad I did as it really allowed the flavor profile to blossom – think a stronger liga that has been allowed to age to creamy perfection. I strongly suggest you take a moment to inhale the scent of this cigar before you spark it as it has the most alluring of sweet tobacco scents, only to be surpassed by its aroma as you smoke it. Also, please don’t forget to retrohale this puro so you can enjoy a bit of its green peppercorn core.”
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
This is a nice-looking cigar. It glistens with oil. The color is deep bronze that has oxidized beautifully. The weight is right. The tiny cinnamon roll atop its cap is a work of art. Not the Mona Lisa, something more akin to Picasso.
The wrapper’s aromas are pungent herbelescent with strong notes of wheat, baking spices, dark chocolate, freshly roasted peanut shells, fruit, and a slice of orange.
Don’t need no stinkin’ PerfecDraw this morning. It sits on my right shoulder and sees what I just typed. It runs, tripping twice, towards the window. It thinks that it is open and flails wildly to the floor. I hear gulping sobs. I shake my head. If Dr. Rod only knew how his offspring behaves…he might have brought in a forensic psychologist to sit with each tool before going to market. You can’t make this shit up. Well, actually you can…
The cold draw is minty fresh with other flavors of espresso, freshly picked flowers, fudge brownies, and caramel.
Steve Saka suggests you retrohale to get that lovely taste of its green peppercorn core. I have notes on retrohaling which you might want to ignore. It was about the time, 15 years ago, that I began writing about cigars. I noticed I wasn’t getting the rush from the nose meets sinus like the previous 40 years. I was getting serial sinus infections that would last for weeks. I was always tired. I saw a specialist in Chicago. He knew immediately what was going on the moment I mentioned I was a cigar smoker. My sinuses were toast. Gone for good. And as a parting gift, I developed sleep apnea from not breathing properly. I have been using a CPAP machine ever since. So yeah, retrohaling is fun but there might be consequences later on…like the craving and desire, for no discernible obvious reason, to be a professional bongo player for the King of Sweden.
Time has served this blend well with a gorgeous smoothness that it is nothing short of remarkable. Not a single crispy edge. Chocolaty, nutty, and full of sweet caramel. It is a Snickers without the beer. The ash is gentle like my 5- and 8-year-old grandsons while punching each other in the nads. A pretzel maltiness. And just the right scoche of black pepper. Unfortunately, I cannot recognize the difference between green pepper and black pepper…I live on the government dole.
Construction is immaculate. A perfect bridge between a grotesque burning thing and man’s discovery of fire. This made sense in my head. I’d take a photo but one must never interrupt a good time with ancillary entertainment.
You can always spot an old male ferret because his balls drag behind him while he scampers. The wild one that bit me in 1990, was young. So, donating his life to a lab to make sure I didn’t have rabies seems just. Although, I don’t believe he ever experienced the joy of having children. My dreams are haunted.
The first third was a flavor fest. Strong notes of coffee, chocolate, caramel, pecans, and pepper that is engulfed in a sweet creaminess. Strength was a tick above medium. The winning formula is that the blend began with rich depth of field. It was complex from the get-go. Transitions are goading me into lounging like an Egyptian pharaoh…and it’s not even Passover.
Is the cigar a flavor bomb? Not yet.
I miss retrohaling. I miss functioning sinuses even more.
The green peppercorn allegory looms large. My brain, accustomed to being swayed easily, finally tastes it. This is why you must read every reviewer. You might see wide differences but then even better is you might come across solid consistency in opinions. That is the golden ticket for any blend.
And speaking of golden ticket, the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Barba Amarilla was on my list of top cigars for 2023.
The old farts of rock n roll are fading out. Artistry doesn’t live forever. I get it that we never want to feel irrelevant but there are hints that decline is our enemy. Is it that they are merely seeking a payday? Lots of big bucks in the golden oldie market. Rod Stewart, McCartney, Joe Walsh, Ringo, and many others are making fools of themselves as audience members substitute memories for reality. The octogenarians, for the most part, can still play well but it is their voices that fail them. So we fall back on their body of work and call it a day.
The second half begins at the 45-minute mark. A stunning blend. So rich. So refined. Complex to the nines. Transitions move at the speed of light. And the sweet spot is ahead. Lawdy, lawdy.
Strength is medium/full with not a single hint of nicotine. Although, creating the classic Flashdance water on the chair scene is not something I would ordinarily do in the confines of my man cavette. Saka has a mysterious talent for creating cigars that muster with full bellies. They easily overcome a dirty palate.
I call it. A bona fide flavor bomb. Two years ago, this cigar was awesome. Now, it is the Mona Lisa.
I understand why almost every reviewer on the planet uses the Cigar Aficionado playbook for scoring cigars. Everything must fit into the 85-91 range. Why? No idea. Are they saving 92-100 for mystical beings out of our reach? No one in the industry gets why my scores for cigars linger in the 95+ region…that is, until I’m reviewing one of their blends. It’s all very fluid. I don’t break down my scores into finite algorithms, that in the end, are still just subjective opinions. I also don’t understand why reviewers spend hours smoking and declaring a cigar stinks. Who is the target audience? Random cigars are chosen and then sent down with the ship. Are warnings sometimes necessary? I guess. Ask any critic…reviewing is a lot of work. This is why I choose to delegate my time giving you a heads up of cigars you might enjoy. Of course, a turd creeps in now and again. And there are review sites that seem to dislike every cigar they smoke. My work is based on the poopie avoidance system. No idea how much longer I will do this. When my time is up, my cone will shrivel…and the stench will be great. Most reviewers my age are dead by now or have trivial roles with Cigar Aficionado.
The second half is screaming laughter. A sea of swarming simbas. I could smoke these cigars all day.
The last third sees strength upped to full. But nicotine level is low. Aging has smoothed out the corners. The green peppercorn reigns supreme. I tender a guess that the difference between black and green pepper is that the attack is lessened. If I had multiple PhD’s I would tell you that the green is milder with less spiciness and a sweetness not available to black pepper.
I grab my PerfecDraw to use as a nubber. I pierce the toast. Flawless.
The 2024 version of this blend is out of stock. But stop your cryin’, there is good news. The 2023 version I just finished smoking is still for sale. What? You can get a great Dunbarton/SBC smoke with 3 years of box aging. And…take 10% off with promo code KATMAN.
RATING: 98
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Didn’t start smoking cigars until almost 40 so hopefully I have some good years of retrohaling ahead. Hope it doesn’t have any effects on the untreated cholesteatoma in my right ear.
Anyway I almost bought some of these the other day but got some solita reds instead. Now I may have to go back and buy these too. So much for saving up for a house.
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