OK here we go. I have not done a rating but I will give it a run. I have smoked two of the Fittipaldi cigars over the last couple of days. One natural churchill and a Maduro robusto. I will describe the Maduro since I enjoyed it more. I am not familiar with the number system so I will just wing it.
Appearance and construction were very nice. The wrapper was smooth and oily with a few small veins. The body of the cigar was not too hard or too spongy. It had just the right amount of give when lightly rolled in your fingers.
The cap clipped off smoothly with no unravling of the wrap. I took a couple of prelight draws and tasted a earthy sweetness that was pleasing but not bitter like other cigars I have smoked.
The cigar lit perfectly and the first flavors to hit my taste buds was a rustic coffee flavor. After the initial lighting I started to experience a flavor that reminded me of toasted sesame seeds. The cigar displayed an almost perfect burn throughout the time I smoked it. I only had to touch it up a couple of times toward the end. This cigar churned out enormous amounts of smoke. I have a tendacy to hot box a cigar at times because I like large volumes of smoke. This cigar didnt require any of the double puffing that I am attempting to break the habit of for getting more smoke. I smoked this cigar down to about one inch. Near the end it became pretty spicy and I could feel some peppery tingles on my lips and gums. I finished a little bitter but not in an overpowering sense.
Overall I would give this cigar a rating of 89. I dont know what the price of these are yet, so I can't tell if they will be a good value or not. They were given to me by the shop manager and he didnt have a pricelist on hand. I would say that this would be a good cigar for $6 and a outstanding smoke for $4.
If I can snag a couple more of these I will send them to a couple of you guys that are a little longer in the tooth at smoking and rating. I would like to see how your comparison stacks up with mine.
