Blind Cigar Review: Espinosa | Laranja Reserva Corona Gorda

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Corona Gorda
Length: 5.6″
Ring Gauge: 46
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Brazilian Laranja
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: La Zona
Blender: Erik Espinosa
Number of reviewers: 5—–Ron (shuckins) Gregg (McGreggor57) Dave (mdwest) Jiunn (jliu) Wes (SosaCub4Life)
Price: $9.90
Age: 2 Months
Release Date: July 2014
Contributed by: Espinosa Cigars

 

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 90

“A lighter caramel wrapper filled with veins and some discoloration around the foot. The cap and seam work is very good.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Aroma: 90

“Very good cigar aroma. Wrapper smell has a heavy dose of cedar and barnyard stank, almost reminiscent of dirty wet socks (sounds horrible I know. It actually is awesome). Foot smells similar in nature (barnyard stank) with some less prevalent notes of ripe stone fruits. Cold draw reveals cedar, white pepper and leather.” –Jiunn (jliu)

First Third

 

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Pepper and dark roast coffee right off the bat have me excited to smoke this one. There is a fair amount of grass that makes it through the bolder flavors. The pepper fades as expected, taking the richness of the coffee. What is left is a nice balance of mild mocha and meadow notes.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“Right out the gate, lots of oily white and black pepper zing clings onto my entire palate. The pepper zing dies off half an inch into the cigar. Within the extent of the first third, I’m getting leather, sweet cream, charred wood and baking spice. Just an inch in, the strength surprisingly creeps to a medium full. The body stays at a solid medium.” –Jiunn (jliu)

Second Third

 

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“No real changes from the first to second third. The flavor profile is predominantly cedar and tobacco with some faint floral notes making their way in occasionally.” –Dave (mdwest)

“The second third has turned more mild. The spice continues to fade and I’m getting a lot of creamy flavors that hang around. The cigar has been holding a very nice ash and producing some good smoke.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)

Final Third

 

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Things go in a different direction when the pepper calms down. This let’s the true flavors of the coffee and cedar become stars. There is enough pepper lingering to provide a decent kick at the very end.” –Ron (shuckins)

“The profile is transitioning to wood notes. Oak and cedar replace the grasses as a little char develops. The retro offers up a mix of spices and a little citrus zest. The leather fades and the flavors become a bit more sharp in nature.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 88

“A bit on the loose side for me, but certainly manageable.” –Dave (mdwest)

Burn: 89

“Nowhere near a perfect burn, but still good enough to not have to worry about it and leave behind a light flaky ash.” –Ron (shuckins)

Construction: 93

“Overall, construction was solid. Seams were tight, the cap was well placed, performance was strong and the cigar was completely maintenance free.” –Dave (mdwest)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Overall Experience: 89

“A very enjoyable cigar once I got past the first couple of inches. After that, things came together nicely.” –Ron (shuckins)

“Great flavor transitions kept this cigar interesting. The final third was completely different from the others. I appreciated the way the blender stayed true to a basic profile without having me chase a lot of other flavors.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“A decent to overall good smoke, just very one dimensional for me. Not bad in any sort of way, but not likely something I would reach for regularly in the future.” –Dave (mdwest)

“I had an overall very good experience. As you know by now, I dislike strong (strength) cigars. The nicotine was a tad much for me but thankfully never became a full blown head buzz. The core flavors of oily white and black pepper, nuts, charred wood, sweet creaminess and baking spice was engaging on every draw. I would seek out 1 or 2 of these to smoke down the road in the hopes of the oily spice tapering down and letting the other core flavors pop that much more.” –Jiunn (jliu)

“Overall, it was a nice cigar. After the initial blast of spicy pepper, the cigar calmed down to be a nice creamy smooth smoke with some good spice as well. Very enjoyable.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
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Smoking Time (in minutes): 64

Edit

Reviewer	Appearance	Aroma	1/3	2/3	3/3	Draw	Burn	Constr.	Overall
Ron	92	90	90	90	90	88	85	97	90
Gregg	90	90	90	90	88	90	92	90	90
Dave	88	90	88	88	88	88	88	90	88
Jiunn	90	90	90	90	90	88	90	90	90
Wes	90	95	95	90	92	97	100	97	95

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
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Blind Cigar Review: Espinosa | Laranja Reserva Corona Gorda