Esperanza Para los Ninos Robusto maduro

Esperanza Para los Ninos - Robusto
5X50
Filler – Hon, Binder – Hon, Wrapper - Hon

This cigar was a fat, dark robusto with a pronounced box press on the sides. The wrapper was an oily looking maduro, gleaming smooth with a sprinkling of small tooth and smattered with dark veins and golden highlights. The large, die cut green and red band was festive. The sides were box pressed flat, and the cap was applied expertly and extended well over the shoulder. This was a very pretty cigar. It had a dense roll with plenty of filler and the pre light draw tasted pleasantly of dirt and leaves.

The cigar was reluctant to come to life, with a difficult draw that tested my patience. I persisted, and was rewarded with a few small puffs that tasted very strange. I caught a salty iodine flavor, almost like New England clams, and a slight stinging sensation accompanied it. The ash was somewhat flaky and light on the outside, but dark black inside. The burn resulted in a long, solid cone that held tight to the stick. The draw, unfortunately never loosened as I went causing me more frustration. The finish was strong and slightly sour with notes of orange peel and the cigar had a thin aroma that reminded me of Campbell's Vegetable Beef soup.

I kept trying, and used ice water to try and erase the unusual flavors, but they kept returning. What was interesting was that even though the cigar was difficult to draw on, the burn seemed hot no matter how slowly I smoked. The oily, almost waxy finish that developed left a coating in my mouth that tasted almost like latex paint. As bizzzare as all this sounds, it wasn't terribly unpleasant, just unusual and vexing.

I still have most of a box of these left, along with some of the torps. Crafted by Jamastran in the late 90s to aid orphans in Honduras, these cigars were blended strong, to the tastes of the asc members that contributed to the project. Some of that strength remains, but I'm afraid that the cigars might be suffering from the thick well-varnished boxes they were packaged in. I'll have to remove a few to air out before I try the next one. Not recommended.

Appearance: 9/10
Construction: 7/10
Flavor: 15/20
Finish: 8/10
Smoking experience: 15/20
Aroma: 8/10
Overall impression: 16/20

Total: 78/100