5 Vegas Series 'A' Artisan robusto
$4, Size: 5", Ring: 52
Costa Rican maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan Binder, Honduran, Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.
Just one look at the 5 Vegas Series 'A' is enough to make the maduro lover start salivating. The lush, dark maduro wrapper, the large, shiny, embossed band and cedar sleeve combine for a very impressive presentation.
Once liberated from the cedar sleeve, the Costa Rican maduro wrapper appeared a rich chocolate color, smooth and slightly glossy, with only a couple obvious veins. An aroma of cocoa rose from the wrapper, and was also present at a cold draw. I dry-boxed this cigar for a couple days before smoking it, hoping to reverse a trend of sloppily burning cigars. The cigar burned pretty straight, holding a grey ash for 1.5 inches.
From first draw to the last, this cigar was smooth. An appetizing combination of nuts and cocoa are the initial flavors, with cedar joining in soon after. Sweet pepper flavors replaced the nuts after the first inch, with the body building towards medium strength. At the last third, the flavor abated a bit, with the pepper receding and the nuts returning, and ended that way.
The only annoyance, with an inch and a half left to smoke, the wrapper burst ahead of the burn line, and fairly suddenly. I thought it was odd, but some other reviewers of Series 'A' cigars have had similar experiences. The cigar still smoked fine after the split, and I was able to smoke down to a nub.
Series 'A' could stand for affordable, attractive, or even awesome. I would call it an amiable smoke. Just make sure to dry box it for a couple days to keep the fillers from swelling so much as to split the wrapper. I've got a couple more for my future amusement.
A gaggle of folks have reviewed other vitolas of the Series 'A':
Keepers of the Flame smoked the diminuative Anomaly.
Brian Hewitt smoked the Archetype toro, one of which burst similar to my experience.
Stogie Review also smoked the exploding Archetype.
Cigar Jack smoked the larger Apex toro plus.
1 comment:
Great review St. Jimbob!
I have to wonder what it is that makes these guys explode. It definitely adds a little excitement to the experience.
I've only had it happen once so far, and I think it happened with one I left in an un-humidified cigar sleeve for a week. All the ones I've pulled out of the humidor have fared better, but that could just be dumb luck.
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