On the show today we welcomed Omar de Frias of Fratello Cigars to The Cigar Authority podcast. During the course of the show we smoked the Navetta Inverso and a cigar from the care package. As has become custom we offer a full review of said cigar this week being the Fratello Bianco III.
Cigar Review: Fratello Bianco
Wrapper: San Andres Negro Maduro
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Peru, Pennsylvania (USA), Nicaragua
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 56
The Look: The leathery looking wrapper that adorns the Fratello Bianco is full of character. There is some significant tooth and a significant amount of ultra thin veins. One could say the San Andreas wrapper looks weathered. The Fratello band sees an inversion of the color scheme with a white background and red lettering with black highlights. The foot of the cigar looks like it is missing a leaf, but the cigar feels firm in the hand.
The Notes: The cold draw of the cigar reminds me of mocha and marshmallows. Something about the San Andres wrapper that always reminds of Mallomars. The foot of the cigar serves up an aroma of dark chocolate.
Once the cigar is lit the first few puffs provide some subtle spices through the nose and some dark chocolate notes on the palate. While the cigar rests in my lil’ stinky ashtray the aroma is spicy and the white pepper has me on the verge of sneezing. As the first third comes to a close there are some coffee notes that are similar to Cafe Bustelo.
The second third of the cigar sees the chocolate notes move front and center with some continued pepper through the nose. Around the halfway point of the smoke the Cafe Bustello coffee note really becomes the focal point and despite being full-bodied, I think this would be interesting to smoke with my morning coffee.
The final third of the Fratello Bianco continues to showcase notes of rich chocolate, that sees some nuttiness join the mix. The coffee notes of Bustello remain, and the aroma of the cigar is that of white pepper. As the cigar dwindles down the aroma of the cigar makes me feel as if I am going to sneeze.
The Finish: When the Fratello Bianco was released I was suffering from San Andres burnout. However, the Fratello rekindled my interest in the wrapper with this cigar. The notes of chocolate and coffee while consistent throughout the cigar provided a nice mix of flavors to keep you interested through out. s.
Score: 91
Price: $9.69 / $171.99
Fratello Bianco III Burn
