Debonaire. That is the one word to sum up Mike Rosales and Skip Martin of RoMaCraft Cigars who this Christmas sent out a Christmas gift to retailers. David Garofalo of Two Guys Smoke shop was one of those to receive the token of appreciation for their business. And as any cigar weasel would do, I manage to get a few of these to smoke.
The Petit Corona was made available as a Sampler Pack at the 2015 IPCPR in New Orleans. Today we review the Aquitaine version of those cigars.
According to the website, “The CroMagnon Aquitaine features a beautiful Ecuador Habano Ligero wrapper selected from the best tobacco we could find. This eighth and ninth priming ligero leaf is thick, oily and has amazing texture.
The filler leaf for this blend was acquired from three separate growing regions in Nicaragua: Esteli, Condega and a small farm north of Esteli on the Honduran border, Pueblo Nuevo. This third leaf, a ligero, brings a strong, smoky, savory flavor to the blend. When combined with the spicy characteristics of the habano wrapper, the exotic bite of the Cameroon binder and the clean finish of its viso and seco companions, the blend adds another dimension to the deep rich tobacco flavor we present in the CroMagnon.”
Cigar Review: Aquitaine
Size: 4 x 46 (Petit Corona)
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua (Esteli, Condega, Pueblo Nuevo)
Strength: Full
The Look: A chestnut brown Habano wrapper that is evenly colored adorns the Aquitaine. The cigar which is small in stature is exquisitely rolled. The brown on band on top of a white sub-band has aquitaine embossed on it. The foot of the cigar is well packed and the cigar has a nice weight to it.
The Notes: The cold draw of the RoMaCraft cigar serves up some subtle sweetness of mocha and caramel with a touch of coffee in the background. The aroma off the nose has notes of earth and mocha.
Once the cigar is lit some spice jumps on to the palate and through the nose on the retrohale. As the spice tones down a notch, some notes of caraway seeds begins to develop. What are caraway seeds you may ask? It is the seed in seeded rye bread. There is also a hint of sourdough and the stick features a moderate earthy finish.
In the second third of the Aquitaine some cinnamon notes begin to develop that are synonymous with the candies, “Red Hots”. There is also a woodsy component that is evident on the aroma and retrohale.
The Burn: A petit corona that burned slow lasting me 90 minutes. The thin combustion burns even with the occasional jagged edge. The light colored ash holds firm for almost each half of the cigar. The draw was perfect, and the cigar remained lit throughout.
The Finish: The Aquitaine Petite Corona was a little stronger than the more traditional sizes which also had more flavor than this short format. However, in the cold New England winters this short smoke filled the need for a cigar, and was extremely enjoyable. Especially, considering the message of thanks behind it.
Score: 90
Price: N/A
Aquitaine Peit Corona
Aquitaine Peit Corona Foot
Aquitaine Peit Corona Burn
