Flavor and Aroma, max 60 points Construction, max 15 points Burn and Draw, max 15 points Appearance, max 5 points Value for Experience, max 5 points Total, max 100 points
Pre-Light Inspection
A fairly dark, oily-looking wrapper with one large vein. Very well constructed cap, cuts easily with no cracking. Pre-light aroma and cold draw is somewhat earthy.
First Third
Typical in my experience with this cigar (in any vitola), the first draws are very strong, almost harsh, and very spicy. After letting the cigar rest and heat up a bit, the flavors start to settle in. Flavors are subtle at this point, mostly nutty. Still a lot of spice, and very full-bodied. Aftertaste is sweet, with a kind of maple taste. The aroma is nutty and inviting. The substle flavors continue for the first third, and are not too impressive. Not bad, just not great.
Burn line is crooked. Several touch-ups required. Draw is perfect, not too loose. Lots and lots of smoke. Ash is medium gray color.
Second Third
Here the flavors start to kick in. Mostly nuts with a slight cocoa, and starting to sweeten up. The strength has tapered off some. The aftertaste remains sweet, and the aroma is nice.
The burn continues to be so-so. Several touch-ups required on the side with the large vein.
Last Third
By the end of the second third and the beginning of the last, this cigar really comes into its own. The woodsy and nutty flavors are very prominent now, and seem to get better with every puff. I start to really, really enjoy this as the complexity increases, the spice decreases, and the body falls into the medium range.
Two more touch-ups required.
Score
Flavor and Aroma: 56/60 Construction: 14/15 Burn and Draw: 13/15 Appearance: 4/5 Value for Experience: 4/5 Total: 91/100
Final Thoughts
This is a great cigar. The flavors take awhile to develop, but it rewards patience. The Centuria is similar in flavor and is a little better constructed. The burn/draw score would have been dinged more, but is usually not a problem with this cigar; it happened to be a problem with the one for this review.
The cigar starts very full but mellows as the flavors develop and the spice wanes a bit.
All in all, you can't go wrong with any vitola from the Tempus line in my experience.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: bpierson,
~~~ "I'm stupid, but I might not be crazy." - Hanno Breuckner
I agree BP, any of the Tempus vitolas are great. I just got my hands on a couple of the Magistris (the perfecto that has a supposedly limited release number). Can't wait to try them!
"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." -- Aristotle
Posts: 126 | Location: Madison, WI | Registered: August 29, 2009
Matt, I think the Magistri has a somewhat more aged wrapper. Would be interesting to hear your thoughts in a side-by-side review with the regular Tempus line.
Man, I mean every time I smoke a Tempus (and it's always too long of a time between), I'm surprised at the awesome flavors that develop. Great cigar.
~~~ "I'm stupid, but I might not be crazy." - Hanno Breuckner
BP, once I let them sit in the humidor for some rest, I'll post a review of the Magistri. If I have a day where I can find the time, I'll attempt to smoke one of the other Tempus vitolas as well, and give as close a side-by-side as I can. The wrapper on it did look amazing, had a great feel, and extremely pleasant aroma. The only unfortunate thing is that the weather is starting to turn cooler here and smoking outside gets colder!
"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." -- Aristotle
Posts: 126 | Location: Madison, WI | Registered: August 29, 2009
Nice review, thanks for posting this one. I haven't heard of a lot of burn issues with AB so maybe it was a bad stick. The flavors sound great in this one.
