Ashton San Cristobal Supremo Monday, May 19 2008

Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: Toro 6.0″ x 50 ring

I have been looking forward to trying this new smoke from Ashton for a while so when CigarsDirect.com sent me one to review I knew I wouldn’t wait long to put it to flame. Still it wasn’t the easiest choice considering the amazing quality of smokes they sent me in the latest batch.

Bearing the name of the famed Cuban marca, the San Cristobal is made for Ashton by my favorite cigar maker Jose “Pepin” Garcia who also makes my favorite brand of cigars, the Tatuajes. By now everyone who smokes cigars is aware that Pepin is the hottest name in cigars right now. His portfolio has grown exponentially yet it seems everything he puts out is made of gold. As highly anticipated as the release of the ESG, the San Cristobal was 2 years in the making.

Released last year shortly after the RTDA (now called IPCPRA), it sports Pepin’s wrapper of choice. It is a leathery, dark brown Nicaraguan Corojo. The Supremo is a Toro and the 50 ring gauge is the perfect size for my new favorite cut, the butterfly cut. The butterfly cut was created by a friend of mine. It is a double V-cut. After making the initial V-cut you rotate the cigar and make a second V-cut perpendicular to the first. I really like this style of cut on larger ring gauges. This cut draws very nicely and it looks cool. Everything about this cigar says “top-shelf”. The wrapper is flawless and there is no sign of any rib veins in the head or foot. The bunching looks perfect and you can tell by the firmness and heft that it is packed full of tobacco. The band is beautiful with the vibrant colors of the Macaw and elegant gold trim on a background of an ancient map.

This amazing cigar is very different from any other Pepin cigar I have tried to date. It starts off so smooth and silky. Right off the bat it is very full flavored, woodsy with leather and spice, and nutty undertones. Notably absent is the trademark “Pepin Pepper” but it isn’t missed at all. This cigar is amazingly complex with a smooth finish. I read on CI’s site some tasting notes that referenced cherry flavors. I have never tasted anything like cherry in a cigar, so I was really surprised when at about the mid way point I detected flashes of cherry. It was amazing and truly unique. I found myself disappointed (in a good way) when those flavors faded as I got a little further into the smoke. I really wished that the cherry flavors hung around longer than they did. Towards the end, the leather and spice began to build to dominate the flavors with a woody finish.

This was an amazing cigar that engaged me from start to finish. The construction is impeccable and the burn razor sharp. The ash was a little loose and flaky which was surprising but didn’t detract from the experience. The San Cristobal has earned a spot on my list of favorites. This cigar is an absolute must try for any serious cigar smoker.

Rating - A+

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Ashton VSG Sorcerer Thursday, Oct 11 2007

Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sungrown
Filler: Dominican
Size: Double Corona 7.0″x49 ring

Today I am smoking a top-shelf, hard to find cigar. This review is brought to us courtesy of CigarsDirect.com. This is the inaugural CigarsDirect review, so we are kicking this thing off right.

Ashton Cigars was created in 1985 by Robert Levin. Levin teamed up with the Fuentes taking advantage of their manufacturing experience to help him create his cigars. Ashton’s popularity was originally built on its mild, yet flavorful Connecticut Shade wrapped cigars. The popularity of the Ashton brand would explode with the introduction of a powerful full bodied cigar, the Virgin Sun Grown (VSG). In November of 1999 Ashton Cigars unveiled the VSG, the most powerful and full bodied cigar in the Ashton catalog. The VSG sports an Ecuadorian sungrown wrapper. Apparently the VSG, before it was called VSG, was going to have a Chateau de la Fuente wrapper of Opus X fame(Keepers of the Flame, Oct. 1, 2006). But the rarity of the wrapper and the popularity of the Opus killed that plan. That’s how The VSG ended up with the Ecuadorian sungrown wrapper. A few of the VSG vitolas have pretty standard names like Belicoso and Robusto, but others have been given more mystical names like Tres Mystique, Spellbound, and Sorcerer. Not sure why that is and unfortunately I was unable to find any info on it.

The VSG Sorcerer is a 7.0″x 49 ring Double Corona. It is wrapper in a beautiful sungrown wrapper with tiny veins throughout, sporting an expertly applied cap and a rich tobacco aroma. The cap clipped nicely with my Palio and the foot took a light perfectly. This cigar packs all the power it is hyped to have but even with that power it is surprisingly smooth. The flavors are full bodied yet refined. I’ve heard the VSG referred to as “The Velvet Hammer” and the name fits. It starts off very rich and smooth with a slightly sweet spice. A fellow BOTL once referred to this flavor as a “sungrown twang”. The burn is razor sharp and the ash is well formed but is a little loose and doesn’t hold more than an inch or so. It has a long almost sage like finish that is quite unique and it produces plenty of thick, creamy, off-white smoke. As the smoke progresses the twang lessened and it developed strong notes of earth and leather with an almost floral undertone. I am very impressed with the smooth, refined nature of the flavors given how full and and powerful the cigar is. It packs quite a punch without any harshness or muted flavors you sometime get with strong powerful cigars. In the last third the VSG really picks up with lots of spice and leather with spice on the finish. I smoked it to the nub.

A double corona is a long smoke that needs to be above par to be enjoyable otherwise you inevitably get bored with it before you finish it. No chance of boredom here. The VSG Sorcerer is a robust, complex smoke that holds your attention for the entire hour plus it takes to smoke it. It is definitely not a cigar for beginners as the length and power may be too much for someone not used to smoking full bodied cigars. For an experienced cigar smoker it is a real treat and is so good you will want to smoke one more often than just on the special occasions despite it’s price tag. You can get the VSG Sorcerer and other VSG’s at CigarsDirect. Link: Ashton VSG @ CigarsDirect.com.

Rating - A

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Ashton VSG Tres Mystique 4.5×44 Tuesday, Jan 3 2006

Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuador
Filler: Dominican Republic
Size: Petit Corona 4 ^3/8” x 44 ring

This is a pretty little cigar. I tend to like bigger vitolas but I heard a lot of good things about this particular VSG. It has a dark brown toothy wrapper and looks very well put together. There were no hard or soft spots. The cap looked a little puckered. The cut was perfect and the filler looked nicely bunched, and no rib veins were visible. The pre light draw was nice with only a little resistance. I took my time lighting this cigar and it was worth it. It lit very nicely. The initial puffs delivered a very spicy flavor that had little too much bite in my opinion. After the first few puffs the spiciness gave way to much more enjoyable flavors. The flavors were still very strong, but I detected a lot of leather and wood while smoking this cigar. For a little cigar this thing gave off a lot of smoke. The burn was perfect until the end when it started to canoe a bit on me. I was able to correct it and I proceeded to smoke it to the nub. It was a strong cigar and it gave me a nice “cigar buzz” afterward. I had to be careful getting up off the couch.

Overall, this was a really nice smoke. Although this cigar is something I’d like to smoke a lot of, it’s a bit pricey, so it’s not something I’m likely to have very often, but it makes for a good special occasion smoke.

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