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Unlit Impressions

 Mottled and meaty, with an unkempt closed foot and a witch hat for a cap, the Corojo Limitada from Kristoff is the quintessential "cowboy cigar" you picture being gnawed on in a classic western. Fresh out of the cigar cellophane, and the teak wood-colored wrapper feels rough to the touch and dry, but somewhat spongy too. While it is well-rolled and adequately bunched and filled, the presence of the cigar itself does not inspire confidence... until you smell it.

Classic corojo concoctions of black, green, white, and herb tea twist around tangerine zest and lemon rind, while a mild woodiness and a fraction of fermented funk unfold underneath. Looks ain't everything folks, and for those of us who have been smoking Kristoff blends since the early days, we know this better than anyone.

Skipping over the crumpled paper bag that serves as the foot of the cigar, I examine the tobacco tastes that crowd the tongue from the cut torpedo cap that just a moment prior was posing as "The Sorting Hat" in Harry Potter. Anyone here a fan of the beverage commonly known as an "Arnold Palmer?"

Boozed to the gills or completely alcohol-free, this refreshing flavor profile pops up on the screen first, with medium spice and a straightforward corojo sun-grown note moonwalking its way across the taste buds thereafter. Glen Case truly does dislike excessively spicy/peppery cigar flavor profiles, and even unlit this balanced blend represents this fact.

Initial Smoke

 Cedar shavings and some dry, clay-heavy soil are what are detected first. Mildly chalky, the medium-grade spice of the corojo wrapper (which is habano-based Cuban seed) slowly stirs itself from slumber. Retrohales are tangy and lightly clad in leather, with a salty finish and a faint pepper note on retrohale rolling outward. The draw is perfect and so too is the medium body of the smoke settling on the tongue. 

1st Half   

 Sweeter and rounder, things soon go more corojo, with star anise, seconds of tea and citrus, and a little bit more spice and strength sprinting forth. Medium, but never mild, spice and flavor form inside the creamy texture of the Cuban-seed tobacco strains, until a traditional corojo cigar flavor profile is fully formed.

Sometimes, simple is best.

Like the cowboys that smoke these sorts of sticks, the Corojo Limitada remains a straight-shooter; sticking with its guns and aiming for flavors of mixed herb tea and black tea, with white and green riding alongside. Citrus and spice give a tip of the hat as you exhale, with the nostrils detecting more honey, lemon, and ginger than star anise and peppercorn. The finish grows sweet and longer-lasting as you puff, and with a mild, milky nut note kicking up dust, a smile starts to creep across my mangy mug. Glen Case has managed to keep this blend tasting the exact same as what I remember, even after all these years. Hell yeah...

2nd Half 

 Conversions occur in the second third in the form of a mild earthen funkiness that makes me think of the smell of the loamy soil found beneath the sprawling canopy of Japanese cedar groves. Dried, resinous tree sap, fermentation formed by—and for—earth-bound microorganisms, and an organic dryness have all developed to balance out the sweet honey and tea tannins. Superb.

Star anise scores one final moment of recognition in the final third, and with the peppercorn spice dying back, makes the herbal and tangy tastes of the cigar even more mesmerizing. Complexity has never been this cigar's M.O. in my eyes, and I like that it keeps things simple at a moment when many blends will go overboard on flavor and intensity, and in the process muddle the senses with an overwhelming onslaught.

Parting Puffs

 Slightly bitter, roasted tea leaf-heavy, with a faint astringency forming inside a wood stave shell, parting puffs are the cut-off point for me when it comes to this blend. This has always been the case, and after all these years I don't suspect it will ever change. At least the blend is consistent in its reliability and deliverables. 

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

 Tiny touch-ups in the first and final third of my review cigar were the only times I needed to spark my Klaro triple torch lighter. The other smokes I sampled prior had similar needs, but in different sections, so keep that flame handy friends. Nothing major mind you, but enough of a burn concern to cause you to want to keep that carbon ring combusting evenly. 

Smoke production, ash formation, and the fantastic feel of the creamy Cuban-seed tobacco strains as they burned more than made up for the issues just mentioned though. The ash may not be the prettiest sight you will ever see, but dammit if this blend doesn't deliver the goods every time when it comes to forming a perfect draw and an ideal medium mouthfeel. 

Final Thoughts 

 Call me a sentimental middle-aged fool, but this blend brings back all sorts of nostalgia for me and my 25+ years of cigar-smoking experience. It seems like only yesterday I was standing behind the register at the smoke shop back in college; looking down at a roughly hewn cedar box packed with loose-leaf tobacco scrap and a bunch of gnarly cigars that made me think of beef jerky.

A touch of a light from some Spanish cedar spills a few moments later, and perhaps a puff or two, and I was hooked. It may have all begun with the Kristoff Maduro, but it wasn't until the Corojo Limitada came along that I was truly enthralled. This boutique blend was a cracking good smoke back when it first came out, and it still is today. Never mind the minor deductions for burn issues and unruly appearances. Forget the missed points for an overall lack of cedar and transitional complexity. This blend continues to create a creamy, clean, no-nonsense linear smoke session that focuses on the basics above all else. 

Consolidate all of that into a single assessment, and it's safe to say that the balanced nature of the Corojo Limitada and its restrained spice levels continue to make it an excellent option for several types of cigar smokers. The beginner reaching for a red leaf wrapper for the first time will likely enjoy this heavily fermented blend, as will veteran smokers in search of a cigar that is straightforward, flavorful, and not too spicy. Oh, and cowboys. Let's not forget them. Yeehaw ya'll...