Payne-Mason Habana Unos Torito Golden

[aurorahokie]

Ring : 52
Length : 6
Habana Unos Torito Golden

So, tonight I broke my "smoke only on Friday or Saturday" rule. If the folks at Payne-Mason were good enough to send me a cigar to review, the least I could do is smoke it...

First impressions:
The wrapper was dark caramel colored, only slightly veiny and blemish-free. A very nice looking cigar. The overall construction was very good, however, I did find a small mushy spot under the band. The cap was perfect and there was no unraveling after the cut. I did notice a small amount of glue oozing out from the top of the band, which isn't a big deal, but did detract from an otherwise gorgeous cigar. I'll comment on the band afterward...

The pre-light sniff was interesting. It took me a few seconds to place the smell. It smells like a horse stall. Manure, straw, dirt and wood all mixed into one smell. Not at all unpleasant. However, not the same grassy-manure smell of a cuban. I definitely liked it, as I grew up around horses.

Fire it up:
The cigar lit well and evenly. I immediately tasted leather, wood and something else...it took me a good 2 inches of the cigar before I could identify it. Toasted pecan. I know that sounds weird, but that's what it was. The volume of smoke was substantial. The draw was as good as I've had. This cigar' strength is light increasing to medium as it burns down. I have no doubt, that if I had smoked this cigar a year ago, I'd have been raving about it. However, I really prefer a more full-bodied cigar these days. The ash was an even medium light grey color and held strong until I knocked it off at 2 inches. The ember underneath was a perfect cone. The cigar burned the same throughout it's entire length.

One of the best things about this cigar, was that there was no metallic taste at all! I was worried about this, since a lot of NC's seem to have it.

All-in-all a very nice cigar. I think Payne-Mason should be proud of their product. I keep thinking that this would be a good cigar to smoke with your coffee as you read the sunday paper.

The band:
I realize that opinions are like , but this has to be one of the ugliest bands around. It's just too busy. The M in mason especially. I'm also not a big fan of the cream colored background with the silver embossing. A nice solid red would really set the cigar off. Especially with it's dark caramel color. I know you aren't C.A.O., but they do a nice job banding/packaging their product. Anyway, that's my .

I'd like to give a big thank you to Payne-Mason for their generosity in allowing me to review their cigar! I really do think you have a nice product here.

Chip