San Cristobal w/pics Review

[CigarMonkel]

Woke up today to a BEAUTIFUL sunny 55 degree Saturday. I've read about these here and there and received one in a bomb (sorry, don't recall who though) and decided to give it a go. The length and prediction of time it would take to smoke this thing made me a little worried due to the fact i was about to go on a smoking adventure without any sugar or food in my system. My parents also gave me some coffee from New Orleans (forgot what kind but a house blend i've tried before at my friends and LOVED it!). So i through a pot of coffee on while i ran upstairs to grab my new Colibri lighter and xikar cutter. Headed outside without my jacket (yay!) and sat down for a while to soak up such a beautiful day.



This cigar had a very nice dark oily wrapper with a beautiful triple cap on it. It felt firm with a little bit of give to it and decently heavy. The Xikar made a clean cut as always and i took my prelight "puff" only to be disapointed by the draw. I felt like i had to struggle to get anywhere so i cut a little more off (thanks to the triple cap)... no help in that department. I couldn't quite tell what flavor i was picking up but it was new to me.


I was very impressed with this cigar right off the bat. The draw had no gotten any better but the new patten of the Cigarmonkel light couldn't even have an effect on this puppy! The first puff it became clear what that taste was that i couldn't put my finger on. It was an undertone that seemed to be pretty faint, but since the taste was so new to me it seemed to pop out and smack me silly. The taste i had been so fascinated with was fruit! When you hear the word fruit and cigar you think (or i would at least...). But it was actually a really nice touch to this cigar! It made it a PERFECT afternoon smoke. The fruit gave it almost a hint of sweetness which could only compliment a nice lunch before hand. The smoke was nice and cool and the burn was flawless.


The ash so far was VERY nice and the burn was, well near perfect! The undertones of fruit seemed to go in and out as it pleased and the leather seemed to switch back and forth between spices and pepper. At times it seemed to change very rapidly and at others it seemed like the flavor was about to settle down and stay for a while. It kept me on my toes trying to predict every puff and what tastes it would bring to my taste buds.


The ash is still holding but at this point struggling to hang in there. By now the leather had been replaced for what seemed like eternity by the spice and pepper. The fruity undertone would still run back and forth as if it was playing hide and go seek. The fruit was a very nice touch to this cigar and only complimented what ever flavor was in control. At times it almost seemed like a miniature battle in my mouth between the flavors and i was loving every puff of it. The burn as you can see is starting to get away from itself but nothing too bad and the draw was still... meh would be the best way i can put it.


After it had ashed itself i was yet struck again with how flawless this cigar was. Not only was it a complex smoke when it came to flavors (or i would say so at least but i'm also a nooby so what do i know) But after it ashed itself the cherry was perfectly centered, not a mountain trying to reach up in the clouds but a nice little mound or hill with a beautiful snowy white color to it.



By now my coffee was almost gone, i couldn't stop sipping it since it was so delicious. As you can see i have a REAL mug this time! One of our family friends had just come back from New York and gave us this giant coffee mug which is the perfect size for me and can hold a good amount of coffee... well apparently not this kind of coffee since i seem to be almost out .


Sorry for the blur! The spice had taken over and the fruit was still in and out as usual and by now.. almost frustrating. I just wanted it to stay there! Talk about a tease huh? The burn had evened itself back out and so far i could not have asked for a better afternoon smoke. The 2nd half of this smoke seemed to ash itself about every 3/4 of an inch which was a little sad since the first half went so well when it came to the ash.



as you can tell... the ash didn't even last 1/2inch that time. None the less this smoke seemed to only get better. The pepper had left me to hang out with the spice and fruit now. This was an awesome combo of taste. Sadly.. my decision to not eat anything before hand was starting to come back to me so i decided to purge, run in and grab a quick snack. A desperate attempt left me with cheddar and sour cream on my pallet and the spice and fruit did not mix to well with this cigar. So i decided to leave it at that and leave myself wondering what the finish will be like. Luckily a local B&M sells these puppies..... i think? i hope!

Construction: 8/10
Burn: 9/10
taste: 9/10
smoke: 7.5/10
draw: 6.5/10

I feel that this cigar is what we call in the car world a "sleeper". It appears to not look as "fast" as it truly is and can fool anyone just by looking at it. In other words, i don't see this cigar advertised nearly as much as others, i don't hear much about it or see it much in the CA but yet.. its an AWESOME cigar!

[gnukfu]

Thanks for another great review Ryan! I smoked one the other day (robusto size) that dwhitacre sent me and it was a fantastic smoke. I have to get some more of them!

[dwhitacre]

Another wonderful review with vivid photography!!!

I think you are A) going for a record, B) competing in the review contest, or C) have too much time on your hands!!!

There is an option D) You really love cigars and posting reviews!!!

Thanks Ryan!!!

[MarkinCA]

[SIZE=3]Thanks for the review and photo's Ryan. The San Cristobal is a very nice looking stick and I've yet to burn one of these. Been reading up on these in my catalogs and here. Sometimes you think, is it the cigar that makes the coffee taste so darn good, visa versa, or both? [/SIZE]

[longknocker]

Great review & Pics!!!

[stearns]

after reading this review, i want one more than ever! thanks, i need to find one now, no place around me carries them

stearns

[Aladdin Sane]

Great review and awesome pics!

I've smoked plenty of these and while I love 'em they are far from my favorite Pepin blends.

[sanfrantreat]

awesome reviews as usual.. so much time on your hands lol

[JGIORD]

Nice review. I love reviews with pics. One of these days I'll figure out how to do it.

I've smoked a few robustos, and didn't get the fruit you detected, but enjoyed them all the same, although not quite as much as the Black labels.

However, your review is making me run to the store to pick up some more. This cigar is definitely a looker. Great band too!

[nozero]

Great review and pics! Thanks!

[redryno247]

Ryan, nice review & pics. I too really enjoyed this cigar...I'm waiting until after the contest to smoke it, as I've already reviewed this particular one. I don't know if you knew this but this cigar apparently is DPG, made by Ashton...at least that's what I was told. Nonetheless, it's a great smoke, for not a bad price (under $10 in my area). Glad you liked it.

[ca21455]

Thanks for the nice review and pictures.

Had a few of these, still up in the air about buying a box. With a box costing $150 - $225 depending on size, I am just not there yet, but they are good enough to keep trying.

[Cadillac]

Very good review!

[CoopnGA]

Great review & Pics

[TripleF]

I think we should designate you as the Offficial Cigar Reviewer!!

Great jog all the way around bro! Props!