Ave Maria Reconquista

[RobR1205]

Brand/Name Of Cigar: Ave Maria Reconquista
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Size (Length x Ring Gauge): Torpedo, 7.0" x 54
Wrapper: Brazilian Habano Oscuro
Filler: Esteli Habano, Condega Habano, Jalapa Habano

Appearance/Construction
Very dark, veiny wrapper. Veins are noticeable, but appealing. The seams of the wrapper leaf are almost invisible. The band is large, ornate, and majestic. If based on appearances alone, this cigar would definitely be a winner hands down

Prelight: A veiny, tightly rolled cigar. The fragrance is reminiscent of barnyard and hay. The rich tobaccos in this cigar filled my nostrils with wonderful aromas. The prelight draw is easy to medium, with sweet flavors that permeate onto my palette.

First third: The first puff is extremely woody and earthy. The smoke that comes off this cigar is very fragrant and enjoyable to smell. The taste that begins to form is earth with very light bits of coffee and bits of chocolate. All I can so far is that this is an excellent cigar! It is incredibly smooth for a full bodied smoke. It's light on the palette, but boasts a medley of flavors. The coffee picks up as the cigar continues to progress. The burn is mostly straight. My thoughts about the Reconquista is that it is very enjoyable, elegant, and reminds me of a nice black coffee. The ash is a very light gray color that is only slightly flaky. Slight notes of hay and earth begin to make an apperance, but coffee and chocolate are still the main flavors. There are fair amounts of white smoke. I had to make a slight relight correction, and there is a small crack in wrapper forming, but barely alter the experience. Butter and cream beginning to creep their way into the flavor profile. The draw is medium, and some spice begins to occur in the aftertaste of my mouth. As we head toward the end of the first third, some definite sweetness and chocolate become apparent. The ash begins to flower gently, and the mild taste of nuts finish the first third of the cigar. I ashed the cigar intentionally.

Second third: More rugged flavor now. The taste has change somewhat, and reminds me of barnyard, hay, and earth. A light coffee flavor can also be detected, with a toasty pepper finish that lingers on the palette. This is one hell of a complex cigar! I can even taste refried beans in my mouth! The Reconquista is less sweet now, and the flavors are currently rich leather and tobacco flavors. At this point, I am about halfway through the cigar. This stogie is really picking up steam, and rich chocolate and wood are apparent.

Last third: This cigar is definitely at full steam now! It has definitely picked up flavor and body along the way. At the beginning, I would have placed this cigar as a medium bodied cigar. At this point however, I can say with confidence that this is definitely a medium-full bodied and flavor cigar. The finish on the palette is strong. The ligero flavors are certainly present, with rich tobacco, nicotine, and leather tastes in the background. The nuances are definitely that of coffee, chocolate, and oak. Although the flavor is semisweet, there is a pepper taste in back of my throat. The Ave Maria is still extremely complex, and paprika, wood, butter, and light cinnamon nuances begin to pick up. This stogie does not go down without a fight! It smells quite strongly of a barn at the end. I can honestly say that the smoke smells great! I found myself actually smelling the smoke as the cigar neared the nub.

Conclusion: This cigar is definitely for the seasoned cigar smoker. So much so, that I would love to continue smoking this cigar in the future to see how my palette changes and picks up the different components that make up the medley of tastes in the Reconquista's flavor profile. I would classify this smoke in the medium to full range. The aged tobaccos used in the blend certainly add to the amazing complexity of this cigar. I thoroughly enjoyed this smoke from start to finish. The Reconquista had NO bad flavors in it whatsoever; no bitterness, sourness, or blandness for even a second. The only downfall of this cigar is the amount of time I spend babying the cigar. I had to relight it about three to four times in the time it took me to smoke it (1 hour and 45 minutes!). Additionally, the burn could have been a lot straighter for a premium cigar, but at this point I'm just nit-picking at the Reconquista. The previously mentioned issues hardly altered the cigar smoking experience.

Overall, Awesome smoke! Worth the coin!