Trinidad Ingenios EL 2007
Size: 165 x 42 ? Cervantes
Smoke time: 1hour 10mins (Ended)
Box date: As release. Source: www.mysmokingshop.co.uk
Appearance: Elegant. Beautiful oily, deep tan ?toothy? wrapper with one raised vein and a slight crinkling to the lesser veins. Nicely applied cap, finished pig-tail.
Construction: The cigar felt nicely packed and ?pinchy? along the barrel. On cutting, the cold draw was slightly resistive. The smoking draw was perfect and likewise was the burn. The ash was well compacted and faultless. No relights, no corrections required.
Flavour: The pre-light aroma was musky barnyard. The start was disappointing, dry and woody. But after a few draws this was lightly lubricated by an underlying citric sweetness and something vaguely chemical, not totally unpleasant, but not pleasant in the usual organic manner of cigars. At about a half inch in things took a brief turn for the better when I picked up something reminiscent of stewed apple. The flavours strength in fairness was a good medium, but the sensation in the mouth was at this stage dry and powdery and without any feeling of refreshment. The third as it progressed carried a bit of sweetness but the predominant taste was wood ? not in the aromatic sence of the word ? think hardboard. Occasionally I could pick out little hints of something better and slightly acidic, but nothing I could put a name to. As the second third arrived the smoke texture had also changed and the tastes coating my tongue and mouth became greasy and fatty. The third itself was relatively unprogressive, the one plus change being the fleeting arrival of a sweet biscuitlike taste before everything descended into sawdust tasteing tobacco boredom. The final third just continued along the same lines. I just couldn?t be asked anymore and exercised the Davidoff perogative. The last picture is where I left it. Not a very good cigar IMO!
Overall: The highlights of the Ingenios are the appearance, construction and pre-light aroma, everything after is downhill. I don?t want to put anyone of buying one because according to Retailers blurb and reviews by people probably better discerning than myself, the Ingenios is a cigar with great ageing potential. Codswallop, as far as I concerned it?s had five years and that ought be enough to give some kind of clue to it?s merit. IMHO there are far better Cuban Lonsdales. (Almost all of them are better if I?m to be ruthlessly honest!). The Ingenios is also on the limp side of weak, any newbee could handle the nicotine strength.
Marks. I?m not sure it really deserves any, but on this smoking it gets 5.8 which puts in down in the Fonseca zone with no chance, not with five years, ten years or even a hundred years of ageing, of coming anywhere near close to a Partagas 898. So no change on the Leader Board.
Next. Bolivar Lonsdales.
Size: 165 x 42 ? Cervantes
Smoke time: 1hour 10mins (Ended)
Box date: As release. Source: www.mysmokingshop.co.uk
Appearance: Elegant. Beautiful oily, deep tan ?toothy? wrapper with one raised vein and a slight crinkling to the lesser veins. Nicely applied cap, finished pig-tail.
Construction: The cigar felt nicely packed and ?pinchy? along the barrel. On cutting, the cold draw was slightly resistive. The smoking draw was perfect and likewise was the burn. The ash was well compacted and faultless. No relights, no corrections required.
Flavour: The pre-light aroma was musky barnyard. The start was disappointing, dry and woody. But after a few draws this was lightly lubricated by an underlying citric sweetness and something vaguely chemical, not totally unpleasant, but not pleasant in the usual organic manner of cigars. At about a half inch in things took a brief turn for the better when I picked up something reminiscent of stewed apple. The flavours strength in fairness was a good medium, but the sensation in the mouth was at this stage dry and powdery and without any feeling of refreshment. The third as it progressed carried a bit of sweetness but the predominant taste was wood ? not in the aromatic sence of the word ? think hardboard. Occasionally I could pick out little hints of something better and slightly acidic, but nothing I could put a name to. As the second third arrived the smoke texture had also changed and the tastes coating my tongue and mouth became greasy and fatty. The third itself was relatively unprogressive, the one plus change being the fleeting arrival of a sweet biscuitlike taste before everything descended into sawdust tasteing tobacco boredom. The final third just continued along the same lines. I just couldn?t be asked anymore and exercised the Davidoff perogative. The last picture is where I left it. Not a very good cigar IMO!
Overall: The highlights of the Ingenios are the appearance, construction and pre-light aroma, everything after is downhill. I don?t want to put anyone of buying one because according to Retailers blurb and reviews by people probably better discerning than myself, the Ingenios is a cigar with great ageing potential. Codswallop, as far as I concerned it?s had five years and that ought be enough to give some kind of clue to it?s merit. IMHO there are far better Cuban Lonsdales. (Almost all of them are better if I?m to be ruthlessly honest!). The Ingenios is also on the limp side of weak, any newbee could handle the nicotine strength.
Marks. I?m not sure it really deserves any, but on this smoking it gets 5.8 which puts in down in the Fonseca zone with no chance, not with five years, ten years or even a hundred years of ageing, of coming anywhere near close to a Partagas 898. So no change on the Leader Board.
Next. Bolivar Lonsdales.
Comment