Cigar:            Aristoff Black Cuban Corona

Size:             46 x 5.62

Wrapper:          CTBL, M

Binder:           Nic

Filler:           Nic/DR

Flavor Body:      Med-Full

Stength:          Med

Country:          Nic

Date Received:    2004-06-17

Suspected Age:    1 year since purchase

Vendor/Price:     Gift from Caffeine, ASC

Beverage(s):      Water / Full Sail, Pale

Smoke time:       1:40

Date:             2004-07-30

Posted to ASC:    2004-08-01

Overall score:    3.9/5.0

Overall:    A great cigar.  Burned well, tasted great from beginning to end.  Flavors evolved nicely over the smoke.  Main notes were strong hint of sweet nuttiness and fine leather.  Might be worth a box.  If I bought all the cigars that "might be worth a box" I'd need a hugedor.  Sounds like a winter project.  Anyone tried to convert an Ikea armoire?

Ambience:   The usual.  On the deck, sun going down behind the Olympics Mts., Mariners game on the radio.  75F, very light variable wind, water of Puget Sound nearly flat.  Sails are up, but no one is moving very fast.  Trying to catch up on gun magazines.  Tough week to work off.  

Construction:     Nice large single cap.  Dark wrapper, very firm with small veins and some tooth.  Aroma - nice leather.

Prelight:   Great cut due to the large cap, that is, plenty of cap left below the cut.  However, a very tough stick.  Draw tight with pepper on lips and leather flavor.  Recut, and draw loosened.

First third:      Initially, lots of pepper with some nuttiness.  Nice long sweet finish.  Lots of flavors in there - much sweet leather, wood, and some coffee.  Pepper gone after first 1/2"  White gray compact ash.  Good smoke volume.  Nice straight burn.  Ashed itself at 2" of ash".

Second third:     Nuttiness has moved out of the foretaste and is now just in the finish.  Some spice has come back into the foretaste.  Great, long, sweet finish, still with nut, leather, and coffee. 

Third third:      Ashed itself again at 2".  Bit of nicotine buzz coming on.  As the 2" remaining mark approached seems to be some spearmint in the foretaste!  Or is it licorice?  Abandoned at 1.5" when it got hot. 

I don't know how long Caffeine had this cigar, but I get the feeling that is was a couple of years.