Whoooo-buddy! Are you in for a treat today! This is a special posting of The Box Press. Last night, I went to the smoke shop. I had a golden ticket. I gave it to the man, and PRESTO! I was brought into the inner circle… Okay, not really. Last night I went to an Ashton tasting at the smoke shop. What is an Ashton tasting, you ask? Well I’ll tell you, and in as roundabout a way as I can.Ashton is a cigar maker. They make cigars. They make damned fine cigars, in point of fact. A tasting is where you try out several cigars at once, and determine what you like and don’t like about them. Then, in this particular case, you get the option to buy a box for 20% off, plus $20 in store credit. Plus a free ashtray. All this for only $20! Tickets were limited, so I purchased mine about two weeks out. Olik was a giant girly-girl, so he didn’t go with, which was his loss.
So here’s how this worked: I walked in, said hi to Andy and the gang, and met the Ashton rep, whose name escapes me at the moment. He asked what type of cigars I wanted to smoke. The options were Mild to medium, medium, and full body. I recently reviewed an Ashton in the full body list, so not wanting to repeat myself I chose medium. In this grouping of three were the Ashton Aged Maduro, La Aroma De Cuba, and San Cristobal Seleccion Del Sol.
We were handed these cigars in a bag, and given an ashtray which we got to keep. We were instructed to light each one, and smoke them for about two to three minutes, then move on to the next. That way we get to compare the taste of each in short order. Between each cigar, we were provided water and almonds, presumably to cleanse the palette in preparation for the next flavor explosion.
As an aside, this is how the manufacturers decide how to add a cigar to their line-up. They create several blends, typically similar in flavor and filler, but with minor changes to add variety. Then they smoke these cigars all in short succession, typically twenty to thirty cigars. Then they narrow it down to maybe half, then half again, and continue until they find the blend that wins. Daunting to be sure!
I did not document smoke time, as I smoked three cigars at once, and didn’t fully finish any of the three. Also, I was told about the sizing: the first number is length, the second number is ring size. For example 5 x 60 would be a 5 inch cigar with a 60 ring size. Some manufacturers list this as 560. Same concept.
And now... ON TO THE REVIEWS! The following will be formatted as such: verbage from the Ashton pamphlet, followed by TGT: my limited opinion of each cigar. I say limited because I was a bit overwhelmed by the myriad of flavors bombarding my senses.
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Ashton Aged Maduro
“Subtly sweet and nutty with rich complex flavors and a touch of light pepper.”
(size)#10 – 5 x 50
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: USA/Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
TGT: This was a pretty cigar, very dark and chocolatey in color. The ring was very plain, mainly black and white with gold accents. It was fairly spongy, but still quite firm. When I punched the head, the wrapper peeled back a little bit, which as I mentioned before bugs me. The flavor at first lighting did not knock my socks off. I initially thought this cigar should have been classified as towards the full body end of the spectrum. The ash at an inch was flaky, but held well. I definitely caught the peppery taste, but I didn’t ever notice the nutty or the sweet. The initial harshness eventually mellowed out, but it was still fairly dark. The cut end was not too acrid on the tongue. This was my least favorite of the three. TGT rating 5/10
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La Aroma De Cuba
“Earthy, spicy flavors complement a rich sweetness marked by chewy notes of nuts and chocolate.”
(size)Bellicoso – 5.5 X 52
Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: USA/Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
TGT: The ring on this cigar is very pretty; colorful and ornate. It also had a red ribbon at the foot. This was a torpedo, so I had to guillotine it. This was very tightly packed and I had an extremely hard time lighting and drawing from it. Ten minutes in, I found out this is not normal, and it may be “plugged,” which I assume means wrapped stupid tight so you can’t smoke it. I was given a second one, and it was infinitely better. Rolled by hand means occasional inconsistency in the quality. Go figure. That’s why they make glass products with “imperfections” so you can feel you’ve got something hand crafted. But I digress. It was firm, but still spongy, more so than the previous. This cigar was very spicy and woody from the light. This was fairly consistent throughout the cigar. Again, I never noticed the sweetness or nuttiness. The draw in this was fantastic, and the ash was tight and well packed. I was disappointed with the wrapper, which began to come undone. It’s sad to me when that happens. All in all, this was pretty tasty, and came in second of the three. I would smoke this again if given to me. TGT rating 6/10
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San Cristobal Seleccion Del Sol
“Rich layers of bright earthy flavor segue nicely into a caramelized espresso-like finish.”
(size)Robusto – 5 X 52
Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Esteli Sungrown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
TGT: The Del Sol is supposed to be similar to the San Cristobal I reviewed a few posts ago, only a lighter version. I’m treating this as a separate entity. The Del Sol is nice looking, a light brown wrapper with a similarly (identical) ornate band sporting gold and parrots. A second colorful band was at the foot. It was spongy and fresh, and punched well. Upon first lighting, I definitely tasted sweetness hidden under an earthy flavor. I initially described this as an interesting, almost dirt taste. It was very interesting and not at all unpleasant. Good draw, VERY smooth, from initial lighting to final puff. As mentioned before, I am still trying to develop my palette, but I could tell this cigar had a HUGE flavor profile that I was simply not able to discern. The Ashton rep said the first time he smoked the Del Sol he tasted pumpkin seeds. I didn’t taste that, but this was a fantastic smoke, and I found myself going back to this one more often than the others. I was sorely tempted to finish it, but time constraints prevented such. The Del Sol was definitely my favorite of the three, so much so that I bought one with my store credit, as well as its more robust cousin. I would obviously purchase this cigar again in a heartbeat. TGT rating 8/10
Note: TGT ratings are completely subjective, as everybody has their own taste preferences. Smoke with caution, gusto, and an open mind.
Many moons ago I tried out the Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary Robusto. I enjoyed it enough that I figured it deserved another visitation. But first, the gritty details. The 15th Anniversary features an Ecuadorian grown Habano wrapper, a Nicaraguan (Jalapa) grown binder and a Nicaraguan filler. This cigar is made in Rocky’s boutique factory in Nicaragua. Rumor has it that one of the filler leaves is grown on a top secret farm in Nicaragua that only grows that particular tobacco. This cigar is box pressed (Hey, that’d be a great name for a blog!), thus it is square-ish as opposed to round. 
