Don Jose Correa Santander Toro (6x50)

Don Jose Correa Santander from Route 45 Cigars.
 I received this Don Jose Correa from my friend Brad at Cigarstix.com. After letting it sit in the humidor for about a month it was high time to give it a try. As always, I paired it with purified room temperature water. I tend to lean more toward the medium-full and full body cigars, so this was a nice change of pace for me. I believe it is good to mix it up a bit and not just smoke heavy cigars. The wrapper on this one is a shiny, oily 3 year aged Ecuadorean connecticut shade which houses a Colombian binder and filler. There were a couple of noticeable veins but were smooth to the touch. It was packed tight and rock solid with no soft spots. The wrapper smelled of hay and the foot offered up a earthy note. I clipped the cap with my scissors and found draw to be a bit firm for my liking with a mildly earthy note. I use the one of the handy single flame torches to toast and light this one up, which lit with little effort. The Initial third opened up with notes of leather, earth, a light hint of cedar, and a refreshingly floral note. There was small amount of black pepper spice to the retrohale. It is a very mild and smooth cigar with a nice, tight white ash. About an inch into the burn the floral note faded and didn't return throughout the rest of the burn. In the second third notes of field grass and a very subtle notes of green teat joined with the leather and earth. In the final third the field grass note takes on more of a wet hay flavor with the leather and earth still present. There was a note that resembled walnuts that popped in occasionally on the final third. This was a mild and smooth stick with a nice white ash. The ash held tight to just under 1.5 inches at a time. The draw did remain a bit firmer than I would have liked throughout the burn but didn't seem to hinder the transportation of smoke to my waiting kisser. The finish remained nutty throughout the burn and resembled the flavor of green peanuts. The flavors didn't jump out at you and required a bit of attention to note. Would be a good cigar for someone new to cigars or someone seeking a change of pace from a heavier cigar routine. Route 45 Cigars is responsible for Don Jose Correa, as well as the Camino Real brand. You can find more on Route 45 and their brands HERE. These are available from Brad at www.cigarstix.com and the link to Don Jose Correa on his site is HERE. Thanks again to Brad Bortz of Cigarstix.com for providing the cigar for this review, it was en enjoyable change of pace for me. These are available for around 6 bucks a stick in this size.

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