Prelight smell was very sweet. It was a smell of raisin with a hint of earthiness. I lit it the old fashioned way with 3 matches. It gave off a wonderful smell while lighting it. Amazing amounts of smoke came out. The initial flavor was tough to place. I noted sweetness, dark roast coffee with wood and leather. There was some spiciness as well. The retro was white pepper spicy. In the second third I am getting more spiciness. The sweetness is still there and the smoke is a little dry. Light sweetness with a savory woody body. Rounding the bend into the final third, the sweetness is mostly an under tone like bitter chocolate replaced by wood. The body on this cigar started out medium but as I came towards the end it was now full bodied and giving off quite a nicotine kick.

This is an excellent cigar. I’ve hit the two hour mark. Even though flavors are extremely potent, it doesn’t meet the qualifications of a true flavor bomb. Most probably due to the fact that the flavors come and go and intertwine with each other as the profile changes constantly.

There are some soft spots along the length of this dark, near-black corona. Earthy, acidic notes segue into woody qualities with touches of anis and raisins.