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Crux Epicure Habano

Esteban Carreras Chupacabra Habano Oscuro

Initial Smoke

Extremely smooth and not a touch spicy in any way, initiation is a fluid and flavorful moment. Cedar and leather headline the show, with a chalky, baking cocoa powder taste and texture being the following act. For an encore, expect some fermented acidity and resins to slowly emerge as that 60-gauge foot burns, which allows space for the taste of heavily spiced gourmet cola to come forth and snag the mic.

1st Half

Lighter than expected in body, but growing larger in flavor as you go, the mixture of dried wood and cedar once again proves that there's more than one way to shine some light through the darkness. Resinous in a pleasant way, and unquestionably soil-forward from the ground up, the first third of the cigar is an obvious warm-up act, and a genuinely enjoyable one to witness firsthand. 

Now, as for those spiced cola notes. By now, they have become an almost exclusively retrohale experience and are insatiable in their desire to please both the nose and the backend of each exhale. This results in a somewhat long finish that tastes sweet and oh-so very familiar, as bolder tastes intended for the tongue begin to burrow upward from the barrel. Cinnamon and chocolate are the first to emerge from beneath that blanket of Honduran soil, with a classic habano tobacco flavor profile resulting in a nutty, wood-like aftertaste.

2nd Half

Faintly meaty, and growing spicier on the nose with every retrohale, thoughts of pepper-encrusted grilled steak on the grill pop into my head. The blend is still medium-powered and very smooth, but there's something building beneath that wrapper, and I wonder if the more delicate sides of the cigar will vanish any moment. 

But instead of being stamped out by bolder, open fire grilling and more rainforest floor, the whole cola side of the cigar flavor profile decides to open another can of kickass. Joined by an oilier, more medium-full body within the smoke itself, the final third of The Osca Habano evolves into the bold blend you expected from first light. Still soil second, and now relying upon a charry campfire final note, this is where those who prefer mellower cigars will likely set the stick down. But for those of us who favor a full-on smoking session, removing that turquoise band and digging deeper is the obvious choice, and so I push onward.

Parting Puffs

Dark and quite oily on the tongue, with cola spices and peppercorns sitting right in the center, and charred wood and medium roast coffee beans in the middle, finishing the last smokable section of this cigar requires some olfactory fortitude on the smoker's behalf. It isn't the strongest closing section to a cigar I have ever encountered, but it also isn't a balmy walk in the park either, as the bitterness and sharpness within the smoke cannot be avoided or ignored.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Despite having some firmly packed, borderline over-filled innards, and a wrapper that returned very little spring, my review cigar produced a near-ideal draw from start to finish. With the right amount of resistance tempering each pull, and an impressive amount of smoke flowing forth from every exhale, the ins-and-outs of this "Sixty" vitola result in a dual thumbs-up approval rating. I also really enjoyed the smoke texture's gradual climb from a satin-smooth introduction to a medium-bodied middle section, and its gradual evolution within the second half to a bold, near full-bodied finish.

What didn't score so well was the burn in the final third, which suddenly went sideways on me and thus required some extensive torch work. Naturally, this led to the need for some vacuum work in between takes. And, as I cleaned up the cigar ash that had strewn itself across the bar in the studio, I found myself juggling a stump of a stogie that was now borderline hot in the hand and charry tasting on the tongue. This was the same issue that I encountered in my sample cigar, so be wary when that final third rolls around.

Final Thoughts

If it weren't for the repeated combustion issues I encountered in the final third of this blend, it would have received a much higher rating. Cigar char is an unpredictable thing and can pop up with even the faintest touch of the torch. It can also be a bitch to work through once it has been established, and oftentimes is an irreversible addition to the overall aroma and cigar flavor profile. Ergo, I am grateful that the burn issues I had both times with the Oscar Habano occurred in the final third and not near the start.

Outside of these combustion qualms and that inexpensive-looking cigar band, I found myself liking this blend from Oscar Valladares quite a bit. There's enough complexity at play here to keep veteran cigar smokers intrigued, and enough familiar flavors and aromatics to make novices nod and smile. It's also surprisingly smooth and not nearly as heavy-handed as it looks, so I feel that a wide range of medium-bodied stogie enthusiasts will find this tobacco concoction to their liking. 

In closing, I must say that this cigar might be best paired with a craft cola or a gourmet root beer. I stuck with straight H2O for the entirety of my review to make sure I didn't miss out on any secondary notes, and I feel that may have been a mistake. This boutique blend really does deliver the spiced cola notes in abundance, and they are not just concentrated in one area either. Sadly, root beer and craft spiced cola are not something that is readily available way up here in the mountains of Japan, so I will need to source some bottles online ahead of my next dance with this delicious Honduran premium cigar blend. 

Overall Balance & Repeatability