Country of origin: Dominican Republic
Color: Maduro
Length: 6"
Ring gauge: 52
Wrapper: Brazilian Bahia (5 years aged)
Binder: Dominican Olor
Filler: Dominican Corojo 2006 & Nicaraguan Criollo 1998
Although Primer Mundo Cigars has been in existence since 2006, it wasn't until about a year ago that I became aware of the company and its portfolio of cigars, at which time it became a blip on my radar. And it was earlier this year after connecting via social media with the company founder and owner, Sean Williams, that the blip on my radar became larger, brighter, and louder. As the Tweets and Instagram posts became more prevalent, the great news was being spread about the La Hermandad line, and the partnership with master blender Abe Flores of PDR Cigars was solidified through a distribution agreement in May 2013, it was clear that I had been sleeping on these cigars. In early August, I received a fine package of samples from PDR Cigars which included one La Hermandad Costa Fuerte Embajador - the newest line launched at the 2013 International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association trade show. After letting it rest in my humidor for a number of weeks, I finally decided to light it up...
This triple-capped, toro-sized maduro is a pretty stick with a large predominantly white band extending from mid-stick to the foot, embossed with the La Hermandad logo in black. The wrapper has a blotchy complexion, a slight oily sheen, and has small veins and visible seams. The wrapper has a nice leathery and cedar aroma, but the foot has a rather pungent barnyard aroma, so I knew I was in for some goodness!
After applying a guillotine cut, cold draws were quite easy and provided some sweet tobacco flavor. The cigar lights easily, and burns relatively evenly; however, I found that the ash breaks quite easily (after losing some ash to my lap while driving, I quickly recognized and adjusted accordingly). No re-lights or touch-ups were required at all.
La Hermandad Costa Fuerte Embajador is a medium-full bodied smoke that's moderate in strength. The wrapper leaves a pleasant sweet taste on the lips that remains throughout the entire smoke. The cigar offers core flavors of robust earthy tobacco with notes of sweet spiciness which grabbed my attention early in the smoke. It wasn't until well into the smoke that I had finally determined that the sweet spiciness is akin to pumpkin spice. The flavor profile remains consistent through the entire smoke, but picks up in intensity during the second third through the finish, especially the level of spiciness during retrohale. Even with the increased depth of flavor, the smoke remains quite smooth and buttery in texture. In addition, the cigar produces a great deal of thick, sweet aromatic smoke. Total burn time 1:15.
I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar - this is a great smoke that I wouldn't mind indulging in more. This was quite a teaser, as I have a feeling that there may be more to this flavor profile to be explored and unlocked, so will be looking to get my hands on more.