Edmundo Dantes Conde Belicoso - TOR Dic 2016 - (S&FBRW)

Glass Half Full · July 25, 2022

ER Mexico 2016 (5.5” x 52)

I struggle to call this a "fat bastard" (especially misspelled as basterd but it fits Moe’s definition for ring gauge — and, thankfully, gave me an excuse to finally light one of these. (Thank you Moe!!)

The pre-light brought light earth and a bit of “clean” mushroom, if you will.

The light itself was surprisingly mild, but it quickly picked up to mid-strength, especially with retros. Hay (but not in the too-young Cohiba sense; more like almost a late-season hay, if that makes sense), plus floral and subtle spices. The smoke production is something to behold, especially for what was in the beginning such a medium strength cigar. (Don’t know if the pic does it justice.)

Entering the 2nd/3rd, it ratchets back down again to mild-medium for a short while, but with very pleasant though subtle complexity; cinnamon stepping forward. …But then, surprisingly, ratchets well up to medium-strong before the mid-point. Full on cinnamon now with citrusy twang bumping up and up and a little saline.

My problem is I’m enjoying this so much that I’m smoking it too fast. Consciously slowing down now, it seems that the retros are the lightest of leathers despite full flavor on the puff.

Remarkably, the beginning of the 3rd/3rd again seems to ratchet down in strength, though the retros have pick up greatly in complexity — slightly fermented flavors, slightly bread, and just an overall slightly sour richness; quite nice. Smoke production continues to be remarkable.

Not surprisingly, strength then picks up again in this final third, in a pleasant way (and, helpfully, reminding me to slow down again). I’m pacing myself to enjoy this last bit. Cedar steps up considerably in flavor nearing the nub, though the cinnamon never lets up, nor does the "twang" I enjoy so much. (It varies but it's consistent nonetheless.) The smoke production is/was also continuously remarkable for such a medium now medium-full cigar. Not a single touch up required, this is/was just beautifully constructed. (There was tad bit of "tar" flavor at the end, as the heat picked up, but only because I got greedy trying not to let it go.)

As always, grading is in the eye of the beholder. To me, this is a 94 (maybe plus) and I don’t know if added age could possibly improve it. That said, I’ll save the rest at least for a while, until another inspiration causes me to dig deep in the humidor. (This was my first of these -- Thanks again Moe!)

All the best, -Glass Half Full