La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Duque is Ashton’s second release under the La Aroma de Cuba label. The Mi Amor came up at number two on Cigar Aficionado’s selection of the top 25 cigars of 2011.

With flavors of pepper, chocolate, and cedar as well as a somewhat sweet finish, this Nicaraguan cigar is one of the most complex but well-balanced blends available. A core made entirely of Nicaraguan leaves is wrapped in a double binder. Rich taste, an undercurrent of earthy-leather, and a pleasant sweetness characterize the smoke.

Wrapper Origin: MexicanShape: Corona
Length: 5 1/4Ring: 56
Wrapper: San AndresList Price: $43.25 (Pack of 5)
Origin: NicaraguaStrength: Full

Appearance of La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Duque

A particularly nice aspect, in my opinion, is that the La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Duque is a box-pressed cigar. Although they are hardly noticeable, the wrapper’s veins give it a strange texture.  Additionally, it comes in a light brown colored wrapper, and it is firm and well-packed.

The cigar’s band has some extremely beautiful features, too. There are some striking colors in it, but most of them are gold. The “La Aroma de Cuba” words are written in an intriguing typeface that has a distinctively Mexican feel to it, while “Mi Amor” is written in cursive on its second band. You’d also probably notice right away the artwork which features a woman. 

Smoking Experience

When lighted, it produces lovely ash as it burns. This cigar is actually extremely smooth, despite the strange sensation that Mexican wrappers give you. This has a double cap, which is excellent, and is quite well-wrapped. After five minutes, the flavor transformed to one that was peppery, leathery, and slightly reminiscent of cedar after beginning with a delicate milk chocolate flavor. It is a full-body smoke, nothing overpowering, but it is still enjoyable.

The ash is already coming off, even though it hasn’t even been a third of the way through. More subtle flavors are emerging. The draw kind of has nutty chocolate in it. It has a beautiful, lengthy finish that leaves you with notes of pepper, earth, a tiny amount of spice, cedar, and at the very end, a trace of sweetness. I just perceived the ash itself as being a drawback.

The ash remains the same for my second third, it easily falls off. In terms of tastes, it became more chocolaty, tasting something like milk chocolate. Furthermore, the spice levels drop, leaving merely a cedar and peppery flavor—still a wonderful cigar.

I had to re-light it a few times for the final third, but it’s still smooth. The tastes are balanced; they remain the same yet have evolved. I really like how the chocolate, cream, and spice combined together to create a really complex cigar, which I think is fantastic. This time, there was more cedar, and there was also some spice and leather towards the end. The ash is really the only issue; otherwise, I appreciate how beautifully the tastes complement each other.

Overall

I now understand why people are raving about the La Aroma De Cuba Mi Amor line of the brand after smoking the cigar. Although the flavors are diverse, they are quite well matched with one another. I adore how it consistently emits a chocolate flavor with a well-balanced spice, cream, earthy, and leathery finish.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that the cigar is something someone can smoke even if they don’t like a full-strength cigar since this is something that is not too overpowering. The strength doesn’t want to make you stop in between smokes but would instead make you crave for its taste.

It seems to go well with whatever type of food or drink you may pair it with, regardless of the season. Grab this one out and give it a try if you like the taste of chocolate and want a hint of spice at the same time. It has enough to be proud of, therefore it’s not a coincidence that it was ranked so well on Cigar Aficionado.

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Glyn Caddell

Glyn Caddell