I managed to get my hands one of these a few days before IPCPR and when I smoked it I was ready to write a review on it. However, I promised I would wait until after the show as Ashton did a good job keeping these under wraps. Since IPCPR I have smoked quite a few of them and my opinion has never changed.

The Mi Amor has been in the making for a couple of years and Holts in Philadelphia will have an event at the Walnut Street location on August 25th from 12pm at 8pm. If you drop by make sure you say hello to Anthony, Robyn, Bob, Lee & Michael for me. This crew makes up one of the best staffs in the cigar business and I love walking into Holts once every 6 weeks or so (hey, I live 90 miles away) and I get greeted by name and am given a tour of what is new since the last time I was in town. Not only do they know how to treat a customer they know how to find a way into your life as a friend. I can’t tell you how much I converse with some of them via facebook or email on a regular basis. Also nice was being stopped by the store manager Anthony Mazzola on the IPCPR floor despite the fact he was rushing to a meeting so we could catch up briefly and talk about how my first IPCPR was treating me.

Anyway.. Disclaimer as required by law. I obtained a sample pre IPCPR for free and I got a couple of samples in New Orleans. While I did not pay for these cigars I did pay my own way to New Orleans and with the amount of Hurricanes I consumed down there I still continue to pay a week later. .

Cigar: La Aroma De Cuba
Size: 6 x 52 (Magnifico)
Wrapper: Mexico (Cuban Seed)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Twitter: @ashtoncigar
Facebook: Asthon Cigars
Official Site: http://www.ashtoncigar.com/index.jsp

La Aroma De Cuba Mi Amor

Appearance and Construction: Oh how I love a box pressed cigar and these are no exception. Someone once asked what is so different about a box pressed cigar and my answer while not a professional one is to compare it to a sandwich. A pressed sandwich like a Cuban has more of an intensified taste then one that is not pressed. Well that theory for me works the same with cigars. The Mexican wrapper born from Cuban seed is incredibly smooth with only the thinnest of veins. The stick has a nice balance and weight to it along with a well packed foot. The band which is similar to the EE features a second band with Mi Amor in a nice cursive font.

Flavor & Notes: The draw of the cigar would have Jackie Gleason stating “oh, how sweet it is” with its easily identifiable notes of raisin and molasses while the foot serves up some spice to the nose. Once the cigar is lit there is some of that Pepin spice but it isn’t in abundance like the other La Aroma De Cuba lines. As the spice fades the stick offers up some cedar and a faint mocha that continues to develop as we smoke this beauty. The second third the stick maintains some spice especially through the nose but the mocha begins to emerge as the dominant note and there is some anise as well. The final third of the stick has some notes of earth, dark chocolate and anise that will having you calling this stick, my love.

Smoking Characteristics: Lighting up a box pressed cigar correctly makes a major difference in how it will burn. You want to toast the foot of the cigar before pulling on it. Once the tobacco has been toasted you want to gently pull the flame to the cigar without submerging the foot into the flame. In fact this technique should be used all the time. The cigar burns even throughout with a nice solid light colored ash that held on well. The draw of the stick was perfect and the cigar produced a nice amount of smoke even in the resting position giving off a nice aroma.

Conclusion: This new stick in the La Aroma De Cuba line has the perfect name. After you smoke one you will definitely fall in love with the cigar based on the whole package. It amazes me how many winners the Garcia family has churned out. And this one continues that trend. The Mi Amor isn’t as strong as the previous La Aroma De Cuba but the flavor profile of the stick is so much more enhanced that this should be flying off the shelves from the second they land.

Rating: 91
Price: $8.00