The Aging Room M20 is a limited production cigar from Boutique Blends and limited to 2,000 boxes. The name ffortissimo is musical, which has always been a love of brand owner Rafael Nodal and means loud. The cigar is the musical equivalent and is full-bodied.
Cigar: Aging Room Ffortissimo
Size: 5 3/4 x 47 (Perfecto/M20)
Wrapper: San Andreas
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Source: Boutique Blends
Strength: Full
The Look: The cigar features the classic small batch version of the Aging Room band of brown and tan. There is gold embossing and over a white background it states M20 which is the blend of the cigar. Embossed in a rust color is tiny brass knuckles. As for the cigar itself it is coarse under the fingers with a fine sandpaper feel. The box pressed perfecto is presented without flaw and a pigtail cap.
The Notes: The cold draw has an earthy note of the morning dew and hay. The small foot reveals virtually no aroma while the wrapper is just a basic tobacco note.
Once the cigar is lit there is a very distinct note of beef jerky to start the cigar off that really grabbed my interest. Through the nose there is some subtle notes of white pepper though I feel it more through my right nostril then my left.
Entering the second third of the M20 some sweetness develops alongside some leather notes. At first separating the two flavors was difficult but became easier as the cigar progressed.
By the time the final third rolled around the cigar lost the sweetness and the primary notes became and abundance of pepper notes with leather and earth with a somewhat lengthy finish The cigar that had a nice balance of flavor and strength really kicked my ass in the final third.
The Burn: Considering how small the foot of the cigar was, I was quite impressed the draw of the cigar and how evenly it burned after a proper toasting. The box pressed perfecto had a razor-sharp burn line and a smoked slowly. The white ash was firm and held for half the cigar.
The Finish: The first half of the cigar was exceptional, but the final third of the cigar was just to strong for me and I enjoy a cigar that is full. I wonder how these will age and I would be tempted to buy a box of 10 to age, but right out of the box is a little too much for me. However, I must take the first half of the cigar into consideration and because of that I will keep the score pretty high.
Score: 89
Price: $13.95
