Ashton San Cristobal

I enjoyed the Ashton San Cristobal. This cigar was about $12, not a big ring size, but was a "Monumento," which is apparently a churchill equivalent. The wrapper and filler, and I think everything else, is Nicaraguan, and is a boutique cigar handcrafted in Nicaragua by Jose “Pepin” Garcia. It was quite dark and robust. Smoke time was about 85 minutes, though to be fair I feel like I powered through this thing. The wrapper was a touch brittle at the punch, and I found that 2/3 of the way through the wrapper started to unravel. That was disappointing. The taste made up for it though.

At first lighting, I was immediately aware of a spicy, peppery tingling. I say peppery, as I can't really discern yet from any other tingly spices. The draw was relatively easy, though became less so as the tobacco became moist. The peppery flavor lasted throughout the entire smoking session, but after about about half an hour, I finally noticed what was supposed to be a major profile: chocolate. Yes indeed, there was a hint of cocoa in the draw. It didn't last very long, but it was there and noticeable. Once that left, I caught another major flavor: nuts. Ask not what nuts I tasted, as I couldn't tell you. Supposedly there are "hearty notes of earth, cedar and spices, accompanied by lighter notes of walnuts, espresso, black cherries and dark chocolate," but again my pallette is not refined enough to discern all of that yet.

Anyway, this was a good smoke, and I would recommend it to others looking to expand into the robust categories. I won't say it's necessarily for the novice smoker, but it's not a bad introduction to darker cigars. I would get it again, but look for a fresher stick next time.

So to review:
Ashton San Cristobal
Size: Monumento
Cost: $12
Length of smoke: 85 minutes
Flavor: robust, slightly chocolaty and nutty, full of peppery goodness
TGT Rating: 7/10

Note: TGT ratings are completely subjective, as everybody has their own taste preferences. Smoke with caution, gusto, and an open mind.