La Zona Connecticut Robusto (5x52)

This is the final sample sent to me by Espinosa Cigars for review on the site with my "T-Shirt Tuesday" winnings. I really enjoyed the Espinosa Habano and the La Zona Habano so I looked forward to doing the review on the La Zona Connecticut. The 2 samples I received had light caramel brown wrappers with very minimal veins. They were both had an oily sheen and hard to find seems. The binder and filler are Nicaraguan tobaccos housed in a Connecticut wrapper. The body was firm to the pinch with no soft spots and very little give. I clipped the cap with my Xikar MTX and found a perfect draw with a mild sweetness. The wrapper gave the aroma of barnyard and hay, the foot offered hay and molasses. It toasted and lit up easy with a single flame pocket torch. The Initial third with toasted nut notes with a mild natural sweetness. There was a fair amount of spice to the retrohale with a nutty finish. Around an inch into the burn the spice calmed and the smoke took on a creamy texture. Going into the second third the toasted nut notes gain some depth as some woody notes emerge along with some notes of caramel. As the final third starts some leather notes join the caramel and toasted nut. Most of the sweetness has faded into the background in the final third but is still present in the background. It's no secret I usually don't pick up a Connecticut wrapped stick unless it's for a review. Lately I have found a couple I wouldn't mind keeping in the humidor for when I need a break from the stronger sticks. This one fits the bill perfectly, with enough strength and flavor to appease the seasoned cigar smoker. It is also mellow and smooth enough to allow a new cigar smoker to enjoy it as well. The La Zona Connecticut is in my top 3 Connecticut wrapped cigars. The profile was flavorful, the smoke was creamy, and the construction was superb. The ash held to around 2 inches before falling into the waiting ashtray and was not flaky at all. The burn was a bit wavy at times but always evened itself back out without me having to make any corrections. The body remained consistently on the medium side of mild-medium throughout the burn. If you are looking for a break from a stronger rotation or you're a new smoker looking for something with a little more body than the usual Connecticut wrapped stogies, I recommend giving this a try. I look forward to more good things coming from Erik's La Zona factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. Thanks again to Erik Espinosa and Espinosa Cigars for providing the cigars for the reviews on the site. The price point on these is around 4.50-5.00 per stick and are even available in crates of 80. Brad at cigarstix.com has these and now offers the "make your own sampler" for those not wanting to commit to a bundle or box before trying them. You can find a link to the cigar in this review on cigarstix HERE. You can find more information on Espinosa cigars on their site at www.espinosacigars.com and find them on twitter at http://twitter.com/espinosacigars