Vitola:

I have just finished the Pinar Del Rio Sun Grown Habano Liga Cubana No. 5, but immediately next up is its darker cousin, the Pinar Del Rio Oscuro Liga Cubana No. 2 (blue label and ribbon). Contrary to the No. 5, the wrapper of the No. 2 is noticeably darker and toothier.

First Third:

Another guillotine cut, just as I did with its cousin. Immediately, I smell a combination of chocolate and meat. The scent is ever so slightly sweet, fairly savory, and has a nice salty finish. The taste left on the palate is slightly nutty and woody. I’m now finishing up the first third, and the flavors have been fairly consistent. The burn has been excellent as well as the smoke output, though the wrapper did tear a little in the middle from humidity shock.

Second Third:

Now I sense a little bit of coffee coming on, replacing the chocolate. I also smell just a tad bit of cream, without the sweetness. The smell is still very pleasantly meaty and savory. This is proving to be a very nice change in the flavor profile. The burn is also noticeably slower compared to the habano I just had—there is quite a bit of oil getting drawn out from the wrapper.

Final Third:

I have just started the final third, and I can tell that the flavors are mellowing out a bit. The smell is predominantly savory dark tobacco, and the finish on the palate is slightly bitter but mainly oaky. I’ve now smoked down to about an inch and a quarter. Unfortunately, the wrapper is starting to get loose, and since I don’t think the flavors will be lasting much longer, I think this will be a good place to finish.

Verdict:

This was a pretty solid cigar. I am very partial to savory, meaty, and oily flavors, so if you’ve got a liking to such flavors, this is would be a pretty good choice. As you can see, the smoking time was much longer than the sun grown habano due to the oils in the wrapper—approximately 14 minutes of extra smoking time. For this cigar, I’m not very sure what drink would go well with it, but I feel like anything dark and creamy would enhance the general smoking experience as the tastes on the palate are not very complex. Alternatively, this cigar would be a fine choice after a good meal. Even without a drink accompaniment, this cigar was very good to smoke by itself.

Total Smoking Time: 56 minutes