Originally published on Tiki Bar Online.
Robusto, 4.5” x 50 ring gauge / $7.55, Silo Cigars
Overall, I have to say it’s still a very, very good time for cigar smokers. Despite statist, “we know better than you” legislation, most of us can still find a good place to smoke. And even though storm clouds of oppressive regulations are gathering, the manufacturers haven’t given up the fight yet…there are still new blends hitting the shelves almost every week. One of the latest is a new blend created by Christian Eiroa under the Sotolongo Cigars brand, founded just a few months ago with Grace Sotolongo, formerly of My Father Cigars. I’ll leave it to you if you want to read the full news reports and previews on various other cigar sites, as well as the potential controversy surrounding the timing of this cigar and Grace’s response. Lots of reading material just on these two links and I’m sure I’m just scratching the surface. Depending on what version you believe, the Hechicera is either a Nicaraguan puro or not…but it was blended by Eiroa and is made in Honduras. Since Christian is known for Honduran leaf, I would be a bit surprised if this were all Nicaraguan…although anything’s possible. As far as the controversy in the comments section of the one link, I’ll just say this: it’s entirely possible that Christian had finalized (or just about finalized) a new blend before he hired Grace to be the face of this new blend (and new brand), just tweaking the blend a bit for her before production began and the blend was released (this is just an observation, not some insider knowledge and isn’t based on anything but the thoughts that bounce through my skull). I bought one sample of the Hechicera (the name of a sorceress who with her beauty and charm, captivates and enchants the affection of the people) from Silo Cigars and that’s the one I’m smoking for this review.
The banding of Hechicera looks good for the most part, but in some ways a bit rushed as well (and that is understandable since it probably was rushed). Example #1 of what I’m talking about: the band says “Hechicera” in gold foil and embossing, but there is no other identifying mark on the band…no “Sotolongo Cigars”…no “Fabricas Unidas”…nothing. I’m not saying there needs to be something else, but it’s unusual to not have some additional branding. From a marketing standpoint, it’s not the best idea, either, as it’s always good to get a company name in front of people. Example #2: the “arms” of the band wrap all the way around the cigar and the overlapping one almost overlaps the “H” of Hechicera. Small detail, but one that might have been changed (trimming the overlapping end about three-eights of an inch) if there were more time. Am I nit-picking? Yes…but these minor things are still important on some level. As a piece of artwork, the band is actually an interesting mix of pen-and-ink line drawing with painted backgrounds. It was done by Nimoska Perez Castellon, an artist friend of Grace’s. It is what I would call a “modern primitive” style…and you’ll either like it or not. I think it’s interesting and unique. The wrapper of the cigar was a light brown, quite oily to the touch and to the eye, and it had medium-sized veins. The aroma of the wrapper leaf was earthy and slightly cedary. I got forest-y earthiness on the foot, along with a bit of coffee. The cold draw was good and had a nice sweet earthiness to the flavor.
The Hechicera lit up fairly easily with just a single-flame torch. Right from the first puff, I noted a muted earthiness and notes of cedar leading the way on the palate; coffee and raisin were more subtle flavors. The retrohale was toasty and nutty with a sharp pepper spice at the end. The ash held on for pretty much the entire first third of this short Robusto with no problem and the burn line was remarkably straight. By the end of the third, the cedar flavor had come to the fore with earth taking a slight step back. The pepper on the nose was a bit tempered, but there was a growing pepper spice at the back of the palate that I had not noticed at the beginning.
During the second third, I removed the band and a small chunk of wrapper came with it. Usually that doesn’t cause a big problem, but by the end of the third, I was starting to wonder if I would keep the wrapper on the cigar long enough to finish the review. Strangely, the excess glue that caused the problem was no where near where the band overlaps to be glued on. The flavor of earth intensified in the second third, overwhelming the cedar notes and the pepper burn at the back of the palate continued to grow.
I got through the last third with no further wrapper damage; a large amount of care and delicate handing was required. The flavor of earth led the way again and I got touches of cinnamon and coffee to go along with the pepper spice. The body on the Hechicera was medium to full with nicotine strength about medium-plus. At the end, I really enjoyed this cigar, moreso than I really expected to. It had plenty of flavor and just enough body to be a great end of the day cigar, along with enough complexity to keep my interest throughout. Definitely one I’ll be revisiting.
Body: 8/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
