E Doble by Erik Espinosa (SI Exclusive)
Thanks to Smoke Inn for sending me a couple samples of the E Doble. Unlike other Smoke Inn exclusive blends, this is geared towards the budget smoker. It is made in Espinosa’s La Zona Factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. Many budget cigars tend to fall short, so I was curious how this would hold up. For the review, I paired with water. You know this.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder & Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: Robusto 5 x 50
Price: $16.25 for a five pack
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The shiny, oily wrapper looked nice, with barely a flaw. I know this is going to sound bad, but the wrapper smelled like I went to a barnyard and sniffed a turd. Maybe you are asking… “How would he know what that is like?” Well keep wondering! Anyway… The foot had a medium earthy odor. The cigar was pretty solid and evenly packed. Any variances were minimal. The draw had slight resistance, with a woody and earthy flavor.
The burn required two minor corrections, and the ash held for just about an inch.
Flavor:
The first third had a dominant woody flavor. Through the nose, there was a familiar pepper that had just a little bit of kick. I think the guys at Dog Watch coined the phrase “Nic Zing.” That’s what I got. There were also slight notes of earthiness. The smoke feel was dry and left me craving water.
The second third didn’t really change. The dominant flavor was wood. The pepper with a slight zing was up next. The smoke feel remained fairly dry, but not quite as much as before. It wasn’t bad, but saying more would be redundant at this point.
The last third kept the same profile as before. The only change was the body and strength picked up a little. It was nothing drastic, but worth noting.
Conclusion:
This was a decent medium bodied cigar. For the price, I think it is worth every penny. It was one dimensional and simple, but had good flavor. This would be fine with coffee or something to impart more flavor. If you are in the mood for something complex, don’t reach for this cigar. If a simple, budget friendly smoke is something you seek, I’d recommend it.
This entry was posted on Friday, June 1st, 2012 at 1:00 am and is filed under Cigar Reviews, Value Cigar. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Tom June 5th, 2012 at 7:29 pm
Indeed!