Initial Smoke

Soil swirling and sifting slowly over the tongue, with mellow baking spices and a chocolate core coming afterward, the beginning of this specialty stick is indeed not a bit spicy. Kristoff's promise to keep things tasty, but never overly peppery, pushes Mexican chocolate and darker terroir the more you puff, and eventually illuminates a stick or two of cherrywood along the way. 

1st Half

As the draw slowly opens up (thanks in part to a quick jab with my Overland Pro torch lighter's poker), the smoke grows into a milky medium. Retrohales are a wonderful woody mixture of cedar and oak, allowing the habano innards of this blend to flex and move. However, for those of you wanting more maduro notes, all it takes is a quick roll of that snowy white ash, and the entire cigar flavor profile shifts straight back to San Andrés, Mexico.

Removal of the ash also opens up a whole can of cake and pie baking spices, along with a nice little kick of clove covering it all. Naturally, this results in a very pleasant aromatic that lingers in the air as you smoke. By now, the body of the blend and flavors are both medium-plus, while the strength is more of a medium-minus. Draw, ash, burn temps, and carbon burn line are all exemplary and need not a second thought.

2nd Half

Shifts start to occur when the center of the second third is encountered. Cedar and salt up top, bittersweet chocolate down bottom, oiled leather, and oak collide for a creamy, incredibly clean midsection. Since this is a Kristoff product, the finish is creamy and clean, with milk chocolate replacing the semi-sweet stuff, and a medium amount of toasted woodiness toward the back of the tongue. 

By the time you get to the final third, there's a high probability that both baking spices and sweetness have significantly increased. Still slightly salty, and heavily habano oriented on the inside, yet undeniably dark chocolate and brown sugar on the outside, the balancing act between the wrapper and the filler/binder combo continues to impress. Final flavor profile appearances from pecans and black pepper, along with a stronger, heavier mouthfeel and smoke presence, make for a rich closure to the last fifteen minutes of this section of the cigar. 

Parting Puffs

Dark roast, toasted oak, majestic maduro moments, and a savory salt-and-pepper mix turn parting puffs into their own pageant show. Puff deep and you may discover a dab of funk balanced by both cedar and spice, along with a slightly tangy retrohale. There's also a nutty mixture that, when mixed with the brown sugar, nuts, and chocolate, makes me think of a Snickers bar. This cigar flavor profile was only detected toward the final section of parting puffs, and was only found in my review cigar, so no guarantees that you'll be rewarded with the same satisfying closure. 

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

This is another beauty of a burner from Kristoff Cigars. There's no need for your torch once the cigar is lit, the ash grows to a respectable size each time, and once rolled off in the ash tray, a perfectly formed cone will greet your gaze. 

Burn lines stayed straight and cool, servings of smoke were sizable, and beyond the need for a quick poke at the beginning to get the draw to open up a tad, the cigar performed perfectly.

Final Thoughts

If there is one drawback to this cigar, it would have to be that it seems to be more habano than maduro much of the time. This may not be a big concern for some of you, but for those who favor a really rich, maduro smoke might find this blend to be a touch too tame. It also does not offer diverse jumps in flavor and aroma at every transition, so Kristoff's  Signature Series PCA Exclusive for 2025 may be a little underwhelming at times to certain smokers.

Anyone who enjoys a really good, medium-powered maduro with a generous amount of habano is surely going to savor this cigar, though. Boldly bittersweet chocolate, but unquestionably milk cocoa as well, with controlled portions of dank soil, farmyard funk, and oily leather following, the outer leaf on this blend is a beauty of a plant-based product.

All of the salt and pepper, cedar, oak, mixed baking spices, and habano toastiness toward the center of the cigar also kicked a ton of ass, and even without any wild transitions, I didn't find myself growing bored with the blend at any point. Combustion and smoke cleanliness also score this stick high points, as did its aromatics, which were absolutely wonderful. Oh, and how about those aesthetics, eh? Talk about one sharp-looking stogie.

Essentially, Kristoff Cigars has crafted a really good blend that is both balanced and beautifully built. It hits its tasting targets with precision and purpose, and delivers a smooth, satisfying smoking session that sits somewhere between maduro and habano.