Cigar:            Pueblo Dominicano Torpedo (La Aurora)

Size:             52 x 6.25"

Country:          DR

Wrapper:          Ecuador, 5 YO, Sun Grown

Binder:          

Filler:          

Flavor Strength:  Medium

NicotineStength:  Medium

Date Received:    2005-11-14

Suspected Age:    OTT

Vendor/Price:     CigarBid / $5.23

Beverage(s):      Water, Maritime Nightwatch Ale

Smoke time:       2:00

Date:             2005-11-16

Posted to ASC:    2005-11-17

Overall:    Nice looking stick, big, with a dark mottled wrapper, and an aroma of sweet, new leather.  Flavor started with lots of pepper then immediately hardwood with a fruity ester.  Occasional hint of cedar, but predominantly hardwood.  As the nub was approached the pepper and wood waned, leaving the fruity, slightly citrus peel, ester.  No other aromatics emerged as I nubbed it, waiting.  A pleasant, obviously quality cigar whose flavor profile didn't really do it for me.  Flavor was surprisingly consistent over the middle 80% of the stick.  Some might call it unidimensional, but with wood and fruit it would have to be called bidimensional.  Not sure aging will bring out other flavors, but I am willing to wait to try.

Hype:       Pueblo Dominicano is from the La Aurora Factory. Combining an exquisitely complex blend of select tobaccos hailing from 6 different countries, and densely bunched inside a 5-year old Ecuadorian Sun-Grown wrapper. The thick, leathery reddish hued wrapper riddled with toothy bumps that seem ripe to plume. An enjoyable medium-bodied delight, smooth and peppery with a creamy sweetness. Pueblo Dominicano has a robust and rich finish.

Ambience:   New venue.  First we checked out the Pike Place Brewery which we knew had a "Cigar Room" which it did.  The room was the size of my kitchen with chairs and a couch and about 8 occupants.  I became claustrophobic just opening the door.  We then walked down the street to the delightful Zig-Zag Cafe.  Big, open bar, where beautiful, blonde, Sarah, tall, and long of torso, served the three of us, gnosh, beers, bourbon, and dinner (spaghetti with smoked muscovy duck - yum :-).  As a courtesy we sat in the corner to separate us from most of the clientele.  Around 7 PM with about 30 people in the bar celebrating Chuck's impending move to Chicago, I noticed something VERY interesting, none of them were smoking, not a single one.  Seattle, what a girlie town.  By the way, Chuck was a dweebie investment banker who was transferring to Chicago within his current firm.  As we left, shaking his hand and wishing him the best in Chicago, he clearly was racking his brain trying to figure out who the hell we were.  Hopefully, my entry in his guest register will forever haunt him. 

Appearance: This is a big stick.  Dark, mottled wrapper with small veins and some tooth.  Nice cap. 

Cut & Prelight:   Sweet, new leather aroma and lots of peppery lip tingle.  As a torp it cut well yielding a very open draw with a slightly musty, cheesey draw flavor. 

First third:      Initially, lots of pepper with a hint of fruit ester.  Pepper faded, but vanished only at the nub.  A hardwood flavor developed shortly and also remained through most of the smoke vanishing only at the nub.  Compact ash held to 1.5".  Aftertaste short and dry with a new leather sinus aroma.

Second third:     Occasional hints of cedar, but not consistently.  Basically a hardwood base note with a fruity harmonic. 

Third third:      More estery fruitiness (citrus peel) and less wood.  Nub lost all woodiness and what remained was the fruity ester.  No other aromatics emerged though I kept waiting.  Finish short.