Hailing from the Emilio Cigars catalog of excellent partnerships comes the Guayacan.  Named for a shrub that grows in the tropics (aka Soapbush) and created by Noel Rojas, this cigar label is among the many Emilio products recently added to the already heavily stocked shelves at The Wharf.  My good buddy, Josh....or " Not Steve" as we call him, was able to smoke a sample provided by Emilio sales manager, Nate McIntyre, and he raved about it.  As the giant shipment of Emilio products finally landed at the shop today, I was able to snag one of them as the box was opened.  Josh and I typically have similar tastes in cigars so this one seemed to be right up my alley.  How is it?  Let's see....

Construction: Guayacan is covered in an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper than has a nearly veinless chocolate brown color somewhere in the colorado shade.  There are ample oils and the cap is a very well done triple affair.  The band is extremely eye-catching as well.    A nicely presented cigar.

Pre-light Aroma and Draw: The Guayacan has a nice warm cedar aroma from the wrapper and the foot gives off a slight peppery sweetness that reminds me of a crisp fall morning.  The draw on this particular one is a bit tight starting off.  Once put to flame it does open up a bit but it is still a bit stiff.  Oh well, there's one in every box, I suppose.

Light and Burn: I swear it is impossible to light a cigar in this neighborhood.  The wind is a living entity.  I have had to resort to various cunning ways of lighting a cigar with matches - my personal favorite is slipping into the shed to light one next to my lawn mower.  Today, however, I am too tired so I lit with the jet lighter.  It blazed up easily and the burn, even in the wind, starts out none too hateful.

Tasting: Starting off there is a nice pepper and chocolate flavor with a nice sweetness.  The first third gives up cocoa, sweet peppery spices, and a nice creamy core of leather and earth.  It's not an overpoweringly pepper bomb or anything.  I would say medium bodied so far.  Into the middle third the flavors intensify a bit.  I get a much stronger leather and earth flavor set with red pepper and cedar thrown into the mix.  It's a nicely complex blend that really stands out against what one might call similar cigars.  On the finish, I get a very interesting aromatic musky spice that comes from that earthy core.  The final third ramps up the creamy core even more and I get some coffee and oak flavors in the already complex mix.  The pepper and cocoa really stand out at the end as well.  Excellent product, Mr. Rojas.

Value: At just under 7 bucks, the value is right on the mark.

Final Thoughts: Even with a tight draw this was a killer smoke.  The flavors are well paired and quite complex. I can honestly say I will be adding this to my regular rotation now that they are available locally.  I can certainly see why Emilio Cigars has partnered with Noel Rojas with this cigar.  The Emilio catalog covers all of the bases providing a cigar for just about any style a smoker might want.  This one easily shows off a terrific blend by someone with a passion for cigars.  I would smoke this any time of day...all day if I could.  Highly recommended.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo 98
Filler: Nicaraguan Corojo 98

Strength: Medium-Full

Size: 5 x 50

Beautiful cigar!

That band is really sharp.  Love the colors and textures they show.  Well designed.