avantgrade purchased this cigar on 2010-01-01.
It has none of additional aging.
Upon the first draw, I find it to be smooth and unrestricted. The cigar began to burn absolutely flawlessly from the beginning, and continued down to the very nub. The smoke is cool and carries flavors of dark cocoa, cedar (which might be coming from the cedar wrapper from the aluminum tubo container), and leather. Honestly, if this continues throughout the entire cigar, I will be extremely happy with the purchase. The body is spot on medium, but as pepper sparks up, I realize that more is on the way.
The cedar aroma builds up, becoming more woodsy as I burn through the first 1/3. Leather and dark cocoa intermix quite nicely, and the body approaches the medium-full segment. The body and the flavor complement each other nicely, and I feel that the flavor complexity rises along with the body profile.
The cigar ashed only once, and that was because I had to motivate it to do so (do not really want the nice leather chairs getting burned at the lounge!). The draw is easy, with only the slightest resistance. The smoke feels just as cool as it did with the initial light, and carries through a more fuller body. Coffee-like notes appear more frequently as I start to approach the final third, replacing the more mellow cocoa. Complementing the rise in body, as well as flavor complexity, is the increasing creaminess, coming from the maduro wrapper, I would assume. As pepper smacks the palate in between a few puffs, the creaminess has a very nice soothing effect, and the cigar seems to beg for more puffs.
I simply cannot get over how cool this cigar is burning. Even down to the very nub, I could not say that the smoke ever felt anything beyond warm. Leather, cedar, and coffee, with the creamy background, finish off the cigar. However, the most pleasant surprise came when a burst of caramel appeared at the very end. As if I needed another reason not to set the cigar down, the caramel flavor is also greeted by some oils oozing out on the wrapper. This cigar is truly loaded, and leaves with a full-bodied finale, leaving a lasting impression of sweet tobacco and leather on the palate.