I love getting special requests. This one will be quite a treat, I think. Every once in a while we get something in downstairs that makes people excited: this is clearly no exception. We just got in some El Primer Mundo Epifanias and Zak at Sunday Stogie is very excited. He came up to me this morning with one and asked me if I would smoke one and write the review. Ok twist my arm. I am always interested in trying cigars I have never had before, but his excitement is contagious and I cannot wait to begin.
It is unusual for me to Google a cigar before I sit down for a review, but this one had me a little intrigued because I know very little about it. I was very surprised to see that almost no one seems to have any listed for sale, but there are a few reviews done by people who somehow got a few to try. I did not take the time to read the reviews, mostly because I don’t like to be swayed one way or another before I try a new cigar. I love doing what I consider a blind review. I mean, I know what I am smoking, but I never look at or ask for other people’s opinions or thoughts until after I have finished. This way, I am not subconsciously persuaded to notice something that might not be there in the first place. The power of suggestion is a very strong and real thing, at least for me.
Now, on to what you came here for…
El Primer Mundo Epifanias Cigar Review
The initial outward appearance of this cigar is wonderful. The wrapper is nice and smooth with minimal veining. The feel is evenly firm but not hard and there are no soft spots. The aroma is mild and smooth with a nice hint of sweetness, very natural smelling. The cap is well constructed with no buckling. The pre light draw is easy and smooth. The taste is sweet although the wrapper itself leaves a bit of spice on the tongue.
The toast indicates that this cigar may have some spice to it, and the first few puffs backed that up. I got the feel right in my nose almost immediately. The retro exhale indicates some body but not a ton. Most of the feel is in the back of the throat. This cigar, at 6 x 52, is a bit larger than one I would normally choose for a review only because I like to keep the time it takes to a minimum, but why not. I mean this is my job after all and I want to do it well.
Even though the cigar is larger, there is still a lot of band with the double band. The feel in the hand is great though, it has an almost velvet feel to the wrapper. Personally, I am a band on type of guy until the last possible minute. According to Russ in his cigar etiquette article, I would not go over well in England, but since I have never been there, oh well. I too don’t like to risk tearing the wrapper.
The smoke coming from this cigar is easy and plentiful, but not too dense. What I mean by that is that is dissipates quickly and does not linger like many other cigars. It could be attributed to the fact that I am sitting near a decently powerful smoke eater that is moving a lot of air in here. I guess I will have to give it another try sometime in a more static environment (drat, an excuse to have another one).
Just as I was about to comment on the ash, it fell off onto my lap. Although a little premature for my liking, definitely not a deal breaker. It did however completely disintegrate upon impact. You must be thinking I am ripped and it was like hitting a brick wall to do that, (I know you were don’t lie) but actually that is not the case. I did however notice that there was some coneing in the ash. I will take all of the blame for that. I was smoking a little fast and that is typical cigar behavior when you don’t slow down and enjoy it fully. I can say that I am enjoying it so much so far I just wanted more, that’s all.
Even though I did not peel the band yet, I got a little rough with the cigar and damaged the wrapper a little. Remarkably, the cigars burn is so tight that it is even taking care of the rip and keeping an even burn right thorough. Now I am beginning to pick up a bit of a vanilla note which I am finding quite nice. I am about halfway through and the body is also picking up a bit here. I would at this point put this cigar at a medium plus in body. It definitely has not reached the full bodied status as of yet, and honestly it may not.
Further down the road a note of coffee is beginning to appear and spice is making a comeback. The flavors this stick is producing are rather impressive really, now I pick up a subtle note of anise. It is time to remove the bands, and they pulled off perfectly. Sometimes the people attaching them go wild with the glue and wind up sticking it to the cigar itself, but that is not the case here.
The burn is staying remarkably sharp and the ash is continuing to fall off rather easily. I would consider it both light and fluffy (messy) but not flakey. Be cautious if you want to keep your pants clean. I might use this as an excuse to convince the Mrs. that I need a smoking jacket. Somehow I don’t think she will go for it. Can only Hef still pull it off? (a topic for another discussion).
I have reached the final third and the coffee note is beginning to build, and to my delight, the vanilla note has returned also. This cigar is turning out to be quite a pleasure. The burn is a little goofy right now, but I can attribute that to the fact that I set it down in the ashtray. Remarkably after just a few puffs, the burn is right back on track. This could be quite possible one of the easiest cigars I have ever smoked; it is practically smoking itself for me. I needed a bit of relaxing today. I have been at this a little over an hour so far and I just got up to grab a drink, this stick is a little stronger that I gave it credit for.
Overall this cigar was terrific. I would highly recommend the El Primer Mundo Epifanias. It completely took care of itself from start to finish. Although the price is a little higher than some (at least in good ol’ NY) it is much less than it should be for its complexity and ease. I give it a solid 9.25.
I don’t know if I will ever smoke a perfect 10, but if I do, I will tell you all about it.
About Jason
Nice job once again Jay! I give your review a solid 9.75 out of 10
Tom, I really appreciate it. As always, thanks for the support. I still can’t believe sometimes that this is my job. I get paid to smoke a cigar and write about how it was, how cool is that!?