San Lotano Oval

This is one I picked up from my CotM club from CI. I'm fairly new to some of the stuff that A.J. Fernandez puts together, but I've heard nothing but good things about his work.

San Lotano Oval 5.5"x54 Robusto

Construction:

First and foremost the name says it all. This cigar is a box-pressed, oval shape that makes it unique. The wrapper is a Habano grown in 2000 containing Nicaraguan and Honduran long-fillers. The wrapper was smooth, slightly reddish, with tight seams and almost no veins. The unconventional shape has thrown people off from picking one up, but for me that made it more desirable.

Smoke:

The pre-light draw was a welcome blast of raisin and spice that carried over after lighting.....for about half a second. After that the Habano wrapper kicked in and covered the pallet with a solid Mexican pepper-style spiciness. Underneath the spice was a nice warm earth and leather layer that was long on the finish.

Overall, I really liked this smoke. The burn was solid, the flavors never got wonky, and the nicotine levels maintained about a medium level. If I see these in the smoke shop, I'm going to pick some up and let them sit in my humidor.

Keep Smokin'!

Mick