5 Vegas Series A Artisan--A Maduro That Won't Knock Your Socks Off
Written: Aug 28 '09
Product Rating:
Pros: Beautifully presented, balanced flavors, great finish
Cons: It is a relatively strong cigar
The Bottom Line: The 5 Vegas Series A Artisan presents a nice change of pace for those of us who prefer mild to medium cigars. The flavors are great but not overpowering.
sparkospunky's Full Review: 5 Vegas Series 'A' Artisan (robusto)
I'm not normally a big fan of maduro cigars--my tastes run towards a mild to medium bodied smoke, but when I received a box of twenty 5 Vegas Series A Artisan robusto cigars I couldn't really turn them down, now could I? Before I tell you about my nice gift, I'd like to share with you a brief word about maduro cigars.
Maduro wrapped cigars have often had the reputation of being strong, full bodied cigars that only the most seasoned cigar afficiano could smoke. The menacing look of the dark brown or black maduro wrapper, plus the strength of the wrapper itself have contributed to this perception, but the strength of any cigar is for the most part determined by the tobaccos that the wrapper encases. I guess what I'm saying is that while most maduro cigars are strong, it ain't necessarily always so, and you should judge any maduro wrapped cigar on a stand-alone basis.
The 5 Vegas Series A Artisan cigars that I received came in a beautiful black lacquered box that looked more expensive than it really was. Each individual cigar was sleeved in a Spanish cedar sleeve, and the regal looking black and gold label on each gave the cigars a really classy look. The entire presentation gave the impression that these cigars were much more expensive than they really were.
These cigars were a classic robusto size, with a length of 5 inches and a ring size of 52. The oily Costa Rican maduro wrapper appeared smooth and almost seamless, and enveloped a three nation blend of tobaccos that had been aged for four years. The cigars gave the appearance of being well put together, and each one was solid and tightly packed.
Now, the important part--how was the smoking experience?
The 5 Vegas Series A Artisan robusto is a full bodied cigar, make no mistake about that, but the flavors were presented in a well-balanced fashion. Coffee and dark bitter chocolate were obvious, as you might expect from a stronger cigar, but there were delicate nuances of pepper and other spices that really evened out the overall taste and flavor of this stick. The thing that surprised me most about the 5 Vegas Series A Artisan cigar was that there was no lingering aftertaste after I finished it. The finish really could be compared to a lighter bodied cigar, but with much more flavor.
As I said before, this stick was tightly packed, and the burn was very slow. Even though I had to relight several times, each time I got it cranked back up there was no "in your face" flavor attack. This stick was cool all the way to the end of the smoke, and I got about an hour and a half of smoking pleasure out of it.
Even though these cigars were a gift, I learned that you can buy a box of twenty of these jewels for $75.00 or so. From the appearance and smoking experience, I thought I was smoking a much more expensive cigar.
This could never be an every day cigar for me, because I prefer a lighter cigar. Surprisingly, I liked these cigars, so I think that I'll pull one out of my humidor every month or so and treat myself to a pleasant smoking experience.
The darkest, richest 5 Vegas yet. Draped in a smooth, oily Costa Rican Maduro wrapper and packed with a rare 3-country long-filler blend of 4-year-age...More at Tinderbox.com
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