The private room of the cigar lounge at The Address Downtown was the destination, the ingredients of the evening being the two stars El Cedro 14k and the Short Perfecto Colorado Claro, paired with a strong 10 year old Laphroaig malt whisky, distilled the same way today as when Ian Hunter created it over 75 years ago. A malt dried over a peat fire whose smoke gives Laphroaig its particularly rich flavour. A bold, smoky taste, followed by a hint of seaweed and a surprising sweetness.
We started off with El Cedro 14k from Robusto Kelner Boutique Factory (KBF). A beautiful constructed cigar which uses Dominican tobaccos with a splash of Nicaraguan ligero in the filler. The 14k presents notes of honey, cinnamon, cedar, cashews, vanilla sweetness and grass. Being created under the watchful eye of Master Blender Henke Kelner, this cigar boasts a noticeable flawless construction. It was a 40min smoke, neither short nor long.
The Colorado Claro Short Perfecto is part of a rare series produced in very small quantities (thanks to my recent visit to Davidoff Boutique at Madison Avenue where I brought a box back home with me) for cigar smokers who always look for a unique taste experience. It comes with a double band, with a reddish-brown Ecuadorian sun-grown Connecticut wrapper and a much stronger taste than the regular production (which is one of my favorite Davidoff cigars). A spicy start rounds off to creamy flavors of sweet wood; while you enjoy it, it continues to build towards a marvelously full-flavored and complex smoke with an attractive aroma.
We were six, and the ratings came out at the end of the evening as follows:
El Cedro 14k: Pleasant smoke with a bitter taste towards the end, better fit for a morning or afternoon smoke, paired with coffee. It got an initial rating of 6/10, but for a newly independent cigar maker we agreed it deserved an extra point, so 7/10.
Colorado Claro Short Perfecto: Stronger and spicier than the regular production, always a short smoke that goes from medium to full bodied, the smoky peaty malt was stronger than the smoke but we could still enjoy a flawless draw, a perfect cigar construction. Suitable for an afterwork or evening smoke, after a dinner. A well deserved 8/10.
Do you agree or disagree? Try the El Cedro 14k and the Short Perfecto Colorado Claro to share your feedback with us!
Short Perfecto Colorado Claro
Length: 4 7/8″
Ring Gauge: 52
Enjoyment Time: 30-40min
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Colorado Claro
El Cedro 14k
Length: 5 1/4″
Ring Gauge: 50
Enjoyment Time: 30-40min
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
See you soon at our next tasting or one of the Limitada Club Cigar events.
