Humo Jaguar 2011 by Nestor Placensia

[lenguamor]

This was generously gifted to me by Barry at Miami Cigar.

Let's start with the story:

The Humo Jaguar is named after the annual Honduran tobacco festival. Each of the manufacturers in Honduras are asked to blend a cigar for this event, which will be judged by a panel of judges. The winner for 2011 was Nestor Placensia and the Humo Jaguar is the cigar that was picked above ALL the others. Using a Honduran Oscuro wrapper from a lower priming and a binder from Talanga, this full bodied smoke is a fine example of the very best to come out of Honduras.

https://smokeinn.com/eshop/Humo-Jaguar.html

The cigar I smoked was a robusto, the smallest of the sizes available.

The construction of this stick is flawless; solid, heavy in the hand. The wrapper is a gorgeous ebony oscuro with some tiny coppery variegations which only add to the presentation. The smell is earthy, somewhat barnyardy; the pre-light draw is spicy, sweet.

From the start, a sweetness asserts itself, as does a charry quality...like good wood charcoal. Spices like nutmeg and a hint of cinnamon ebb and flow. Some pepper comes through, muted, way in the background.

The first half keeps the same theme rolling, with the sweet, warm spices remaining steady; the charriness increases as the stick burns down. A small amount of oils collect south of the burn, creating a nice visual. The ash is rock-solid, firm and white.

In the second half the oscuro really asserts itself; dark, woody flavors start to dominate the closer I get to the end. The ending is a bit muddled, with the charred essence of the smoke taking front and center. It never gets unpleasant, but you kind of wish it would give way to more complexity, given how delicious the wrapper looks.

As for this being the best that Honduras has to offer, I beg to differ. While it certainly wasn't bad by any definition, the two Gran Habano blends I've tasted have been far superior in terms of flavor, and they have nothing to envy this cigar in terms of construction either.

But, all in all, an enjoyable stick. If you're an oscuro fan, you'll likely love this cigar.