San Cristobal Elegancia Imperial Review

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut

Filler: Nicaraguan

Price: $7.00

For my birthday a couple weeks ago, my family and I went over to Center City Philadelphia. While we were over there I had to make a stop into Holts Cigar Shop. I went in there for the sole purpose to find new cigars to review. I have been trying to get my hands on this cigar because I enjoyed the other San Cristobal lines. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

The Connecticut shade wrapper is very light brown, almost the color of sand. The wrapper is also very smooth. There is a very thin vein that runs the length of the cigar, but nothing I am worried about. . The stick is very solid with a softer mid-section. The cap is perfectly flush and gives off a nice and earthy smell. The bands on this cigar also made it stand out in my humidor.

As soon I lit this cigar up, I was greeted with a slight spice. There was also a great amount of earth that came out right away. About an inch into this cigar, the spice mellowed out quite a bit. As the cigar progressed, there were some nice wood notes as well a little bit of sweetness. By about the one-inch mark, the spice was gone and there was plenty of earth and wood to fill the gap. Just around the start of the second third, there was a slight bitterness like black coffee that comes out.

The flavor kept changing and become more complex. The wood notes began to coat my palate right around the start of the second third. There is also a nice nuttiness that comes out as well. About halfway, the spice comes back a little bit, but it is still very mild. The wood and earthy notes are still very prominent. The sweetness of the tobacco is light, but it reminds me of sugar.

The last couple inches of this cigar pick up a bit. The earthiness becomes much more robust, as does the nuttiness. There was a nice creaminess that took over the woodiness on my palate. The finish was great and complex.

The ash was a medium shade of gray. The ash was also very strong and held on for about two inches at a time. The burn was slightly wavy at first, but it eventually evened out and stayed even until the end. The draw was very easy and produced a thick white smoke. The smoke gave off a very earthy aroma.

This cigar started off very mild but slowly progressed into a solid, medium bodied cigar. The flavors were very nice and changed constantly. The flavor changes kept me on my toes to see what I would pick out next. This is another great morning cigar. I give it a 8.25 out of 10.

Enjoy,

Zack the Stogie Man