By Hayward Tenney
After resting in my humidor for a few days, my morning got off to a great start courtesy of the Cariños Robusto Natural. The cigar is impressive to behold: its creamy coffee-colored Nicaraguan Jalapa wrapper is seamlessly wrapped around the uniformly-packed body. There are some very fine veins, implying high quality wrapper leaf, and its medium-heft has an oily feel in my hand.
Details of what's under the hood are sparing; what I do know is that there are Honduran Jamastran and Panamanian longfillers bound in a Brazilian Sumatra leaf. The foot is evenly colored a dark brown and exudes a slightly sweet tobacco nose.
After clipping, the cold draw is sweet. It lights easily - my guess is there's not too much Ligero in the mix. Despite that, I'm greeted with a blast of pepper through my nose. This quickly fades, revealing a baseline of woody flavors with sweet nuances on a medium finish. The cigar is producing plenty of thick, aromatic smoke, thanks to a freely flowing draw. Its burning characteristics are impressive, burning slowly on a dead-even, razor thin burn line. I tap 1.5" nuggets of ash into the tray, and although it probably could hold on longer, I'm not willing to risk ash in my lap to find out.
At mid-point I notice that pockets of spice have emerged, suggestive of clove and nutmeg. The wood baseline has developed into an ever-developing leather characteristic. Further in, the spice matures into a deep tobacco sweetness. The smoke has settled firmly in the medium-bodied range, and is dry in texture. A splash of water on the palate reawakens the sweet notes mentioned earlier. The aroma is pleasant, if a little "bready."
With an inch remaining I let it expire. Overall, I'm impressed. I would smoke this cigar again, and its superior construction makes it an easy recommendation for those who appreciates this flavor profile.
Appearance: 9
Construction: 9
Burn: 10
Draw: 9
Aroma: 8
Flavor: 9
Final Score: 9.0
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