Cigar:            Tabacalera Hatuey Robusto

Size:             52 x 5.00

Country:          DR

Wrapper:          Corojo

Binder:           DR

Filler:           Nic

Flavor Strength:  Medium

NicotineStrength: Medium

Date Received:    2006-12-03

Suspected Age:    NA

Vendor/Price:     Gift of Garry Nold, ASC - Thanks, Garry!

Hype:             http://www.hatueycigars.com/

Beverage(s):      Water, Deschutes Twilight Ale

Smoke time:       1:00

Date:             2007-08-17

Posted to ASC:    2007-08-17

Overall score:    3.0 / 5.0

Sock color:       Black, dress

Hat:              Promech Air

Overall:    Nice cigar in the woody profile.  Very dry, sweetish aftertaste and finish.  Smoke volume built over the smoke.  Perfect burn despite severe wrapper split from swelling.  Very firm ash.  Bittered up within a few draws in the last third - young?  Not a box purchase for me, but if you like a woody profile it is worth a try. 

Ambiance:   Evening, mostly cloudy, watching Mariners versus the White Sox, and reading the "The Tantalizing Squid", a Washington State Fish and Wildlife service pamphlet on squid fishing.  Also reading, "Fishing Hawaii Style, Volume I".  The Little Woman is in a truck, somewhere between Knoxville, TN and Jacksonville, FL, hauling a load of furniture.

Appearance: No band.  Very light colored, smooth, small-veined, seemingly thin wrapper.  Quite firm along length.  Double cap.  Wrapper feels oily or silky.

Cut & Prelight:   Uncut, unlit, aroma seems like a cigarette to me, almost, but not quite sweet and a little dusty.  Frankly, not a particularly attractive aroma.  Cut well yielding an open draw, a dusty, dried grass draw flavor with a good lip and palate tingle.

First third:      Initially, some pepper and sweet wood, particularly in the aftertaste.  A bit low in smoke production.  Tastes better than it smelled.  The pepper quickly waned.  Dry after.  Smoke volume increasing.  Still woody, though less sweet.  About an inch in the wrapper split about 2" from swelling.  Light-colored, very firm ash held for 1". 

Second third:     Quite woody, now presenting a bit of cedar.  Just after exhaling there is a blast of sweetness then the dryness settles in.  Good smoke volume and burning very even and sharp. 

Third third:      The cedar never developed.  Bittered up quickly in the last third.  Abandoned at 1.5".