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Unlit Impressions 

Almost entirely covered in shiny silver foil, this version of the Lunatic line lets its pigtail cap, fat band, and squat stance do all the talking at first. Unsheathe El Chiquito and feel free to feast your eyes, fingertips, and nostrils on a surprisingly smooth Mexican San Andrés maduro outer leaf. I wouldn't go as far as to call it flawless, but with its firmly fitted seams, tight barrel, and vaguely noticeable veins, pre-light critiquing returns very few qualms. 

Rough to the touch thanks to the formation of some adolescent cigar tooth, the sandpaper outer shell smells of bittersweet cocoa and caramel, followed by a touch of coffee grounds and a dusting of chalky soil. Spiced port wine, nutmeg, allspice, chocolate-covered raisins, and the faint scent of dried oak set the foot apart from the wrapper. 

Chop off that pigtail and take a quick cold pull of this little porker, and allow the milky horchata to mix with the cedar and dark soil tastes of Nicaragua's farmlands. I find it rather odd that very little mocha or fruit notes are to be detected, but at least it's not a total white pepper bomb or completely coffee or cocoa-driven.

Initial Smoke

Strong coffee by the cup and the bittersweet taste of intense cocoa does come after your palate without hesitation once that fatty 70 gauge foot is fired up though. Peppery in a medium way, spice levels swiftly settle down as the sweetness of the cigar's tobacco gradually turns up. Cedar can be examined here as well, but primarily upon retrohale, and even then it is a distant secondary note. Clean and simple. I dig it.

1st Half   

Mellow woodiness mixes with mocha and makes a mixture of sweet and dry the first truly sizable cigar flavor profile impression. Retrohales increase the prominence of the sweeter sides of these characteristics, and the finish is this delightful medium-length mixture of oak, cedar, salted brownie batter, and more mocha.

Growing a smidgeon spicy, but also a good bit smoother, the second third of the cigar sticks to many of the same tasting profiles of the first section, but cranks up the intensity by a tick or two. Sweeter, darker, stronger, and somehow getting smoother, the wood notes mix with mild star anise aromatics for an above-average hour-long section of the stick. By now, everything is medium-plus, including flavor and body, with the finish and retrohale being of particularly good form. 

2nd Half 

The largest transition within the cigar begins right past the 50-yard line when all of the mocha and wood make room for a pitcher pour of milky horchata, complete with sugar, cinnamon, and a bowl of toasted walnuts. Still smooth and very creamy, the smoke being pulled from the cut cap creates an enjoyable atmosphere for the gradual return of medium roast coffee and a kick of nicotine. 

However, there is not much more to report from this moment until the arrival of parting puffs, with flavors and aromas remaining consistently true to the notes previously mentioned. Nothing to bitch about, just a continued focus on what is already in the works. 

Parting Puffs

Darker than the soul of Lord Sauron himself, and leaning heavily upon coffee over chocolate by this point, the last thirty minutes of this blend are both bold and controlled. Sure, the aftertaste can be a touch pepper-heavy at times, and the blend is burning a bit hot, but that comes as no surprise considering the vitola and blend. What matters here are the lowkey nuances of toasted oak barrels and the way in which retrohales ratchet up the aromatics of the cigar-smoking experience. 

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Going big doesn't always mean an even burn, with this review stick receiving a total of three touch-ups, one in each third. The cigar also got a bit squishy near the band line as it combusted, making for a far too fluid draw in the last push toward the finish. 

Due to its larger circumference, I found that even this smaller version requires a two-puff approach, as it will not produce enough momentum via a single pull to provide the smoke required for an assessment. Points were added for the texture and rapid formation of smoke though, as the larger ring gauge harbors the ability to generate an impressive amount of the cloudy stuff when routinely pulled.  

Final Thoughts 

Although I cannot see myself smoking any of the Lunatic line regularly, or even on random weekends, I fully understand the appeal of this sort of cigar. 

Combusting at the rate of a third per hour, this 3.5-hour-long vitola ventured into familiar Mexican San Andrés maduro territory and remained true to many of the cigar flavor profiles and aromatics that fans of this wrapper leaf like so much. It also featured some really good Nicaraguan long-filler influenced retrohales here and there, which were at times, the winning factor in the blend's overall final score. And while they may not have been the most memorable of transitions, the shifts that did occur within the cigar were appropriate, and for the most part, well timed.

But like many other creatively crafted cigars, the larger ring-gauge made for some unnecessary work along the way. You really do have to stay on top of this blend or it will go out on you, and numerous touch-ups on something so rotund will likely result in a hint of char forming later on. Nothing frustrating or unpleasant tasting enough that it will make you want to give up, but a bit more of a bungle than what one might expect from something so meticulously bunched and rolled. 

Oh, and be forewarned that the physical heat put off from this size of stogie is substantial, especially since it tends to be a two-puff sort of cigar. So you will need to tread that line between puffing regularly to keep the cone glowing, and hitting it too hard and overheating the whole stick. But get it right, and you will be rewarded with a fulfilling, if not overly complex sizable smoking session from a plump little maduro.

Stogie Specs