Sosa Exclusive Series Grand Cetro Maduro (6x50)

This is one of the sticks I picked up on my trip to Sosa Family Cigars in Orlando, FL. so it has been marinating in the humidor for a few months. After a long week and watching my little sister get married, it was time for a celebration. What better way to celebrate than with a Sosa Cigar right? My thoughts exactly! I managed to get my son in bed a little early and had enough time to smoke something larger than a robusto size. This one had a dark brown, velvety smooth wrapper with a couple of noticeable veins but shouldn't be anything that would hinder the burn. The wrapper is a Connecticut broadleaf maduro which houses binder and filler from the Dominican Republic. The Sosa website says these are a limited production cigar due to their use of only the finest tobaccos. The wrapper had a light cocoa aroma with a hint of sweetness and the smell at the foot was of cocoa and molasses. It was firm to the pinch with little give and no soft spots that I could find. I clipped the cap with my new Xikar MTX multi-tool and found a perfect cold draw with hints of molasses and cocoa. After a quick toasting of the foot, it lit easily with the handy single flame torch. The Initial third opened up with light notes of red pepper, coffee, and leather. There was a very light caramel note that snuck in about 1/2 and inch into the burn. The sweetness of the maduro wrapper was mild and pleasant with just enough spice on the retrohale to compliment it perfectly. Body in the first inch or so was a solid medium for me. In the second third body picks up a bit to a solid medium. A cedary wood note along with some cream come into play in the second third as the smoke takes on a more creamy texture. In the final third the coffee note, that was more in the background in the first two thirds, moves to the foreground as a slight nuttiness joins the profile. The spice kicks up a notch going into the final third but is still mild and pleasant. There is a barely noticeable note of dark chocolate that seemed to make itself known at about the half way point that picks up just a bit in the final third. The final third seemed to bring a slightly bitter sensation to the tongue but was not harsh or unpleasant at all as the body kicked up to medium-full. The construction on this stick is exactly what you would expect from a Sosa Cigar, it was well made with perfect burn. The burn did get a bit wavy but always corrected itself, requiring no help from me. The resting smoke had a slightly sweet woody aroma. The ash held to around 2 inches at a time and was light gray in color. It's sticks like this, Underground, and the Super Selection that keep Sosa Cigars in my top 3 favorite brands. A solid cigar with a nice complexity and great flavors, yep it's a Sosa! I paid 10.00 for this stick at their shop in Downtown Disney. I believe they can be found online for less than that but even at the 10.00 price point it's a great cigar for the money. Burn time was around 2 hours and required no re-touches or re-lights. You can find more information on Sosa Cigars at www.SosaCigars.com and you can find Arby Sosa on twitter at http://twitter.com/sosacigars. He is a super nice guy and always a joy to talk to, so stop by twitter and say hey. They are also on facebook at www.facebook.com/sosafamilycigars