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Initial Smoke

I don't come across the flavor of spicy Chinese black bean paste in cigars often, but when I do, I take note. Hell, in most cases, it's such a potent taste I cannot help but notice it. For ol' "Mikey" here, that flavor is front and center upon light, with dark roast espresso beans standing directly behind as advertised. A hit of semi-sweet baking chocolate, some raw pecan creaminess, and potent retrohales that gradually grow creamy control the tempo. It's an exciting start, and it makes you wonder what is to come as that tapered foot feeds into the fatty first third.

El Septimo Sacred Arts Collection - Michelangelo $79.43 $87.37

Single $17.65 $17.65 / cigar 5-Pack $79.43 $15.88 / cigar Full Box $300.05

Add to Cart $79.43

Wrapper

Undisclosed Maduro

Binder

Habano (Ecuador)

Filler

Dominican Republic, Ecuador & Nicaragua

Origin

Costa Rica

1st Half

Oily and layered with leather, medium-roast coffee beans, and that steady spiciness stemming from the earthy black bean paste taste, the darker sides of the cigar expand their reach in the fattest section of the cigar. As the blend slowly burns, stronger umami flavors surface, with fatty grilled meats cooked over lump charcoal being the primary top note. 

But the backend of the cigar is velvety and nutty, with the raw pecans providing both milkiness and sweetness on each exhale. This finish is filled with additional flavors of equally nutty coffee, with a dried-berry taste, and a medium-roast accent reaching for a slightly more burnt characteristic at times. Even then, the cigar doesn't form those burnt coffee notes that are marketed on El Septimo's product page. The smoke most certainly is as dark as all can be, but also controlled and fairly creamy, so there's some latte foam on top of that cup of caffeine. 

2nd Half

Although there is a sizable stall in the center of the cigar, the continuation of the same tasting notes as earlier is nothing to write off as unappealing. If anything, this allows the existing flavors to form a more solid foothold and gives the palate the chance to fully adjust to and appreciate these intensified tastes. This is without question a very full-flavored, full-bodied cigar, and with strength moving closer to full as well, that gradual build-up is more of a blessing than a boring bit.

Consistent levels of peppery heat and an oily amalgam of heavy leather eventually give way to a darker, burnt coffee taste. In most cigars, this would be unpleasant, but with all of the pecan nut tastes, milky latte foam, and the addition of some creamy almond notes, it works. If anything, there's a sweet, almost medicinal aftertaste that forms in the final third that throws me off a bit, even though I don't mind the taste itself. It just seems out of place considering all that is going on up front.

Parting Puffs

Spicier than ever before, and still oily and heavy as can be, the tapered lower end of the perfecto finishes things off with a bold blast of heavily roasted tree nuts and more burnt coffee. Roasty, creamy, chewy, fiery, and somewhat sweet, the texture and heat of the smoke remain rich and cool, causing me to break out the poker on my Overland Pro torch lighter so that I can keep smoking. While I can't see myself doing this every time I smoke this blend, it sure felt like the right thing to do during my review, and I found myself being rewarded with a gratifying final few puffs.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

You may find yourself having to give this tightly packed perfecto a poke or two prior to lighting to give it enough airflow. In my case, I had to do this on both my sample stick and my review cigar, after which the draw became near ideal. And while you may be tempted to break out your lighter to fix the burn early on, allowing that tapered foot to slowly form an even ash is advisable, as perfecto cigars often tend to self-correct at this point. 

What did not fix itself, though, was the burn in the final third and parting puffs, with two minor corrections coming in short spans. As for the ash, while it certainly grew lengthy and was not too flaky, it did drop on me a couple of times. Heat intensity also popped up as a problem in the middle of my review stick, when the cigar began to grow slimmer in ring-gauge, so you'll want to take it easy with this one. However, that ultra-oily smoke texture made the sensation of puffing this perfecto extremely pleasurable, so there were additional points added to the final score that stemmed from the body of the blend.

Final Thoughts

Delivering as promised on those burnt coffee tasting notes, but not until further into the second third, Michelangelo by El Septimo created a smoke session that genuinely resonated with me. Not so much for its strength or powerful flavors, but for its tempered manners and rich smoke textures. It's an incredibly oily, opulent cigar, with a strong, creamy undercurrent that helps bring both flavor and balance to what could have been an overly bitter premium cigar blend.

After-dinner cigar smokers are going to enjoy this one, as will dark maduro experimentalists and figurado collectors. It's not an overly chocolate-heavy or soil-strong smoke, and it will not transition all that much on you, but it doesn't seem like that was El Septimo's intention in the first place. There's plenty to appreciate with what is already being presented, with little-to-no harshness or obtuseness to the smoke to be detected along the way. 

Would I fire one up again? In a heartbeat. But only when the mood felt right, and only with a full meal in my belly and a strong beverage standing at my side. So yes, in a sense this is a special occasion sort of stick, even though its price point and availability mark it as otherwise.