Purisco™ Azul Corona Maduro
These are the smokes from Tabacos de la Cordillera that I've been waiting to
clear Miami Customs for two weeks. Even though they've been
"who-knows-where" with Customs, there was no way I could wait to rest
these in the humidor. I lit up a corona maduro within 10 minutes of receiving
them from the postman.
I couldn't wait because this is the line of cigars that is touted as being
equivalent to the Cuban sticks of the 1950's. The article and interview with the
creator of these cigars, John Vogel, can be found here
- Tabacos de la Cordillera.
For those that can't wait to find out the results...It was very good right
from the start and got even better. Are they over-embellishing when they imply
they are like the Cuban cigars of the '50's? I don't know. I never had one of
those. Is the best cigar I ever smoked in my life? No. Is it very good and do I
highly recommend it? Yes. Read on...
Purisco™ Azul Corona Maduro
Size: 6¼x44
Construction: Great construction. Perfect cap. No veins. A handsome
looking, smooth, dark brown Maduro wrapper with a slight hint of tooth. No soft
spots. Very light weight to hold.
Pre-light: A nice earthy mix of cedar and tobacco, a little
"woodsy" aroma reminded me of being outdoors, camping in the woods.
Very easy draw. I don't mind an easy draw at all, but it might be too easy for
some people.
Burn: A slight uneven start that quickly corrected itself into a perfect
straight burn. Slightly loose gray ash lasting about an inch before falling off.
Drink: Water
Smoking Notes: This Costa Rican "genetically pure Cuban"
puro started off great and was consistent throughout. In short, it has a woodsy
and spicy medium-to-full bodied taste. Spicy cinnamon is the most predominant
flavor with some bittersweet dark chocolate thrown in to soften it up a bit. The
long finish is also a nice dark chocolate and cinnamon flavor. This was a
flavorful cigar that was smooth and not overpowering.
Overall Impression: The Purisco Azul Corona Maduro is an excellent
cigar, especially for the price of $4.00. Other cigars of this caliber usually
sell for $6 to $8. They only sell them in bundles of 25, so you have to drop a
hundred bucks to get them, but you can feel confident that the $100 was well
spent.
As to the comparison to Cuban cigars, I would say it can be a fair
comparison, keeping in mind that it is a general comparison. The Purisco is an
excellent cigar and I have definitely had Cuban cigars that are not as good as
this and vice versa. They can be purchased at http://www.tabacordillera.com/cigarstore/index.php?cPath=23
