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Wrapper: Connecticut/Ecuadorian Dark

Binder: Ecuadorian

Filler: Dominican/Honduran

Size: Churchill

Body: Medium

Price: Gift from Vato Cigars; priced online for $14.99

Cut/Prelight: I used a double blade guillotine cutter for a smooth cut. The prelight draw had notes of earth and leather.

Toast/Burn: I used a single flame torch to evenly toast and light the foot of the cigar.

Initial Observations: This barberpole is beautifully wrapped with flawless leaves. A few small veins are present. The lines on the barberpole are practically perfect. There is an aroma of cedar emanating from the wrapper. The draw has an ideal amount of resistance to it. It will open up perfectly while smoking.

First Blush Puffs: Leather and wood come to the palate first. After a couple puffs the wood picks up distinct notes of cedar. The retrohale is cedary and rich with hints of spice.

First Third: Leather, cedar and coffee mingle with the gentle spice of the smoke. The finish is woody with hints of cinnamon. As the first third continues, the richness builds and it starts to evolve into a different level of complexity as the cinnamon and spice start to play a bigger role in the flavors reaching the palate. (insert ash mishap right about…… now. Wow, I’m such a klutz! ) The burn is very even and the draw is perfect. There is plenty of rich, slightly spicy smoke.

Cigar Art? Nope! Just clumsiness! Whoops!:)

Second Third: All the notes balance out beautifully as the I get into the second third. It sticks around for awhile, then the cedar, leather and coffee returns. Once again the spice is mostly noticeable in the retrohale. The flavors don’t change again until the last third.

Final Third: Coffee and Oak are the main notes in the finale of this Twister. The spice and cinnamon still hang in the retrohale. It is a very well balanced yet rich smoke. Just when I think the body is done transforming, the spice and cinnamon returns and remains through the finish.

Conclusions: The Vato Cigars Kansas Blend Twister is a wonderful medium bodied cigar with great complexity. The notes go through a metamorphosis that take your palate from cedar, leather, coffee, spice, cinnamon… it is such a fantastic variety. It is balanced enough that no single note overwhelms the palate at any given time, but they are pronounced just enough to be easily recognizeable. The blend, construction and the whole experience with the Twister in general, is what keeps me coming back to try more of their cigars. If you want to give these a shot on your own, visit them inside Binion’s Casino in Las Vegas or you can order online here.

This entry was posted on January 25, 2013 at 12:16 AM and is filed under Cigar Reviews . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.