Quick.  Before my hands freeze up.  It was 75 here yesterday and now it's 45.  Welcome to Ohio, folks.  Don't like the weather in the Ohio Valley?  Wait a day and it will find and way for you to hate it even more.  Today I am smoking the much sought after - at least by me - Aladino Corojo Reserva.  I have been dying to try these and I found them at Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati.  So, as the sun sets and the temperature plummets, let's get smoking.

Construction: A picture perfect cigar.  The cap is a thing of beauty.  No seams or veins.  Nice tooth to the wrapper.  Text book example of a cigar.  The bands are super vintage in design and simple.  The big story for me is how easily they come off.  Boom.  Done.  They just come right off without fuss.  Like they know you will need to take them off to keep smoking the cigar to the nub - which I did on both cigars I smoked for the review.

Pre-light Aroma and Draw: Once the paper is pulled off the body of the cigar I get a few rather mild notes from the wrapper and foot.  Sweet wood and cut lumber mostly. 

Light and Burn: Nearly perfect burn from start to finish.  The burn line did get a tad wavy at the end but nothing to complain about - and I am sitting outside in 45 degree weather.

Tasting: Right off the bat, I get black pepper, candle wax, and mulling spice.  A highly unusual set of notes.  The overall impression is a rich and unusual cigar already.  Notes of forest earth, cinnamon, black licorice, and toasted cedar prevail in an almost syrupy density.  It's a heavy cigar with a powerful character.  Notes of dried cherry, heavy tobacco sweetness, and salty tomato - no kidding - round out the first third.  An exceptionally unique and complex start.

There is a highly Cuban quality to this cigar.  One of the more notable Cuban flavors - one of the things that makes Cuban tobacco taste like it does - is a salty mineral note.  It's something unique to Cuban tobacco and I have rarely smoked a domestic cigar that has that quality, but here we are.  Salty, green plantain, and mild cocoa hit off around the middle.  If this were a blind smoke, I would guess Cuban H. Upmann.  The flavors are dense, and rich and I can see why I have read so many reviews holding this smoke in high regard.

The final third keeps things on course in complexity.  A chicory note and some dark chocolate notes begin to appear with more sweetness and more black licorice.  Have I said how dense these flavors are?  Like that thick gooey hot fudge you get on ice cream....like that.  More toasty wood.  A touch of red pepper.  A hint of vanilla.  The retrohale is loaded with anise and chicory and a note that reminds me of chocolate cake. 

Value: I paid about $12 for this beauty - worth every red cent too.

Final Thoughts: As a brand that flies in under the radar, Aladino has a classic here.  It's a manly butt-kicking cigar with more flavors than most brands out there.  I intend to add this to my regular rotation as often as I can - when I can find them.  It's easily one of the best cigars I have smoked this year.  Highly recommended!

Wrapper: Honduran Corojo
Binder: Honduran Corojo
Filler: Yep...Honduran Corojo

Strength: Full

Size: 6 x 52

An absolutely beautiful and vintage looking cigar.