Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican San Vicente
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: Perfecto
Strength: Medium
Purchase Link: Casa de Sueños Fantasia
FANTASIA REVIEW – DOM
Summary: The first place my brain goes is honey mustard—love at first puff. Cayenne and semi-sweet chocolate add a layer of complexity to this fried chicken sandwich. The body is on the mild side, so I’m puffing often to keep my flavor receptors hyped. Passing the tapered portion of the foot, the pepper notes step aside for caramel corn and cream.
Shoot. The wrapper bursts a fissure at the halfway point. (Hang in there, buddy.) Here comes cocoa with an electric guitar solo. Okay, so the guitar solo ended up being “Eruption” from Van Halen: cocoa, cocoa, and more cocoa. If you’re a chocolate fan, this cigar will have you wanting s’more.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Camp songs.
Pairing Suggestion: Coffee.
Perceived Strength: Medium.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Box.
FANTASIA REVIEW – RICH
Summary: Big notes of earth, cocoa, and coffee with lesser notes of pepper, vegetal, spice, caramel, and bitterness.
Getting past the tip and into the main part of the cigar really hurt the experience for this smoke. The cigar would be fully lit and puffling along fine, then it would completely go out more than once until getting past the taper. After getting into the main part of the cigar, construction gave no further issues. That can be a risk with a vitola like this, but I've burned my share of them and this one was particularly problematic.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Strong black coffee.
Pairing Suggestion: Bourbon.
Perceived Strength: Medium.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Single.
FANTASIA REVIEW – BEN
Summary: Milk chocolatey wrapper and a bulging vein that didn't offer any difficulty; burned like a pro. Almost immediately I'm introduced to green pepper retro with thick flavoring on the tongue. Tobacco offerings and a spice-back but no worries because it isn't strong. I'm enjoying the bread feel - white loaf perhaps?
Second third wrestles between cinnamon and raisin notes. Lingering heat along my nostrils is still present but not to be confused with spice. This cigar feels medium-bodied with thick, gray, short filler ash. No ash on my lap but you've got about an inch 1/4 of grace before it snows.
I enjoyed the warm position this cigar offers even though the last third seems to be much the same. I'm left with a stuffed pepper feel and a faint spice on the back of the tongue.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Stuffed green bell peppers.
Pairing Suggestion: Anything sparkling.
Perceived Strength: Medium.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Box.
FANTASIA REVIEW – TED
Summary: Cold draw full of nutmeg and cocoa. Nice tease.
Starting out with almonds, leather, and mild tobacco transitioning to a vegetal note with a chalky mineral and leather finish.
Very good construction on the cigar this far. Entering the middle, it’s still a chalky mix of nuts, leather, earth, and coffee with an overall mineral note in the finish. The mineral flavor is a bit too salty for me and is detracting from the rest of the profile.
The final section reveals an even stronger mineral note along with flavors of tobacco, earth, and bitter coffee.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Taking a knuckle ball to the chin.
Pairing Suggestion: Vodka Martini.
Perceived Strength: Medium.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Single.
Participants in this blind review were completely unaware of the cigar they were evaluating until all submissions were received and processed. Each participant was asked to answer a summary paragraph, an if/than statement, a pairing suggestion, and a purchase suggestion. Cigars were provided by Small Batch with only the expectations of candid responses. All pictures, information, and formatting were completed by a Coordinator outside of the reviewing process.
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