Wrapper: Mexican
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: Rabito (6 ½ x 46)
Purchase Link: Espinosa Murcielago
ESPINOSA MURCIELAGO REVIEW – CALIFORNIA
Summary: Not the prettiest cigar but this is a blind review, so I'll try to look past it. Leather grabs my taste buds and choke slams them against the wall. Holy smokes this is a dark cigar; I'm being inundated with earth. I will say that I like the contrast of the white ash against the dark wrapper. Anejo tequila.
Starting the second third, this cigar reminds me somewhat of the Norteno by Drew Estate. Tootsie roll and oak. There's a bitterness/sweetness that reminds me of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Final third. This cigar simply isn't in my wheelhouse. Coffee grounds at the finish.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Tackle football in the mud.
Pairing Suggestion: Milk.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Single.
ESPINOSA MURCIELAGO REVIEW – WISCONSIN
Summary: This well-made cigar brought flavors of earth, leather, cinnamon, ginger, dark chocolate, anise, bread, and some nice sweetness. As the cigar went on it added pepper, then coffee to the profile. It got a little more bitter than I prefer in the second half.
The retrohale was interesting, being much, much more full of pepper than the flavors I got on my tongue.
Smoke poured out of the cigar. The draw and burn gave me nothing at all to complain about.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Assorted holiday cookies with a cup of coffee.
Pairing Suggestion: Bourbon.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Fiver.
ESPINOSA MURCIELAGO REVIEW – OREGON
Summary: The wrapper on this cigar reminded me of my favorite dark roast coffee I drink nearly every morning. The cold draw on the cigar was slightly on the loose side offering dried cherries, cocoa and dry hay.
Flavors through the first portion included dried beef jerky, black coffee, wet wood notes, a bit of campfire smokiness and in retro hale, a nice addition of bittersweet chocolate.
The middle of the cigar offered continued dark notes of coffee, charred wood, dark chocolate, leather and a lingering touch of sweetness... barely discernible, but it was there. Also, the construction and smoke output were solid through the midway point.
The end portion found just a touch of harshness in the mix of flavors. Burnt toast, earth, bitter coffee and charred wood really dominated all of the profile and any nuances simply vanished. The retro hale remained nice, but it too was dominated with dark, slightly bitter notes.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Chugging reheated coffee on Monday that you made on Friday.
Pairing Suggestion: Bourbon.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Fiver.
Participants in this blind review were completely unaware of the cigar they were evaluating until all submissions were received and processed. Each participant was asked to answer a summary paragraph, an if/than statement, a pairing suggestion, and a purchase suggestion. Cigars were provided by Small Batch with only the expectations of candid responses. All pictures, information, and formatting were completed by a Coordinator outside of the reviewing process.
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