Ashton Cabinet VSG

[Corona Gigante]

I just smoked one of these beauties--I think the lonsdale--generously laid on me by a C/S member and true BOTL.

This cigar was beautifully constructed, with a nice box press on it, and beautifully conditioned. The comparison that first came into my mind is that if my beloved BBF is a Graham cracker, dry and flavorful, then the Ashton Cabinet VSG is a chocolate brownie, moist and dark. I normally prefer an EMS-type wrapper and so I approached this dark beauty with a certain amount of trepidation. I needn't have worried. The bitterness I normally associate with the maduro wrapper was completely absent.

The flavor was rich and full with a pronounced fruitiness which persisted for the length of the smoke, complemented by a pleasant woodiness that came into focus about half way in. Did I read somewhere that the wrapper leaf is fermented in brandy casks? That would account for the fruitiness. My one minor disappointment was that the cigar went out with an inch or so still to go. I would have gladly scorched my fingertips on this one.

Too rich for an everyday smoke, IMO, but it made for a very enjoyable change of pace.