In attendance were Fernand, Robert, Pat, Tom, John, Tom, and Ed.As usual, we gathered to enjoy a good cigar and give our opinion on it by holding a 'group tasting' following dinner.
Six of us dined at nearby Saltoro in North Seattle. The steaks were heavy on our table and were paired with a beer, a scotch, some wine and a couple martinis. Next we were off to Fernand's back patio where Pat joined us under the heater for the tasting session and some very enjoyable discussion.
Our selection for this Herf was the Ashton Heritage Puro Sol Robusto. A beautiful robusto measuring 5 1/2 inches long with a ring guage of 50. This Heritage Puro Sol was Cigar of the Week back on January 21st, 2008 which received a 91 from Cigar Aficionado's expert tasting panel.
Following CA's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) we began the tasting. This proved to be a well-liked cigar among our group of ‘tasters’.
After averaging our scores, The Cohiba Club's official rating for the Ashton Heritage Puro Sol Robusto is 87. An excellent cigar.
Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 12 pts (80% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 22 pts (88% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 22 pts (88% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 31 pts (89% of the points possible)
There were some minor construction issues with this cigar. Unfortunately, one of them split about an inch up from the foot not long after lighting. A few of them were rolled tight enough that the draw was a bit too firm. On the other hand, the flavor was the one attribute which received positive accolades during the entire experience; and some of these cigars got to be mighty short. There was a very pleasant nuttiness on the palate, some leather and never any harshness or bitterness. A good example of a smooth, medium strength smoke, and that aspect was appreciated as a nice respite from some of the full-strength sticks we've enjoyed recently. We were very pleased to have made this selection and would not hesitate to recommend it.
The surprise of the evening was the fantastic XO brandy brought to us by Ed. We highly recommend you try GERMAIN-ROBIN Alambic Brandy Select Barrel XO. Look for a future write-up here on this superb brandy.
Photo credit to Ashton Distributors, Inc.
