Tabaco, Paso De Leon Cigars

Cigar Review: Paso D' Leon Liga Arandu

Wrapper:Habano Mexico
Binder:Indonesian
Filler:Nicaraguan
Belicoso: 6 x 52
Body: Medium to Full  Price: $7.00
www.pasodleoncigars.com
 

 
 

 
 
It has one of the most gorgeous Habano wrappers I have ever seen.  It has a very silky look to it. It appears to have been dipped in honey.
I sniff the body and then the foot. The foot gives out astrong scent of blackberry. The body has a cedar and barnyard aroma.
I light up and immediately get the pleasant flavor of toast. And pie crust. As well as a subtle sweetness. The cigar had a razor-sharp burn. And smoke fills the room.
 

  

 
From the outset, it appears to be a classic medium strength cigar. I detect some spice early on. Gives the stick a little punch. I’m an inch in andthe flavor is pleasant but not evolving yet.
Just past the 1” point, I get a wonderful blast of red pepper. If you’ve read me before, you know I love spicy.
 

  

 
Soon afterwards, the blackberry sweetness is complemented by notes of caramel.  The berry/caramel mix make for a very unique flavor. It reminds me of ice cream. Spicy ice cream.
 

  

 
Around the halfway point, I getnotes of citrus. Like orange peel. Very nice. The sweetness dissipates some. It is replaced by notes of coffee. This cigar is like an artichoke. The more you peel back, the better it gets. Towards the last third, the creaminess shows its head and it’s plain deelish!
 The stick has a long finish without any harshness or bitterness. It finished with a cool and sturdy nub. 
Overall, this cigar is agreat example of terrific balance of flavor, strength and body. I want to thank Ken at Rancho Maduro for supplying samples.
April 26, 2012 Addendum to review:
I am smoking a new batch. And I am just blown away by this cigar. It is a true work of art in the mode of flavor and body profiles. This time, the cigar not only started with a dollop of spiciness but a huge spoonful of creaminess thatcoats the throat like premium vanilla ice cream.
The berry flavor jumps out at me and turns this into an ice cream sundae.
This stick could easily go for twice the asking price. I am elevating this stick to my favorite 25 cigars of all time.
And since this has been available at Rancho Maduro, under the tutelage of Ken Ballone, keeping these cigars in stock has been a problem. So if you visit Ken’ssite, buy as many of these cigars as you can afford. Better too many, than not enough.
 

  

 
 
June, 1974.
My girlfriend and I were to meet my best friend and his wife in Florence, Italy. They left early to visit Sweden…I think. My buddy, Skip, was to go back to Amsterdam and pick up our guitar and bass amps left in the luggage area of the train station.
An appointed time was set butwe coincidentally met on the streets of Florence. The first thing out of Skip’s mouth was, “Where are the amps?” I flapped my arms yelling, “What do you mean where are the amps? You were supposed to get them and bring them here.”
He again reiterated they were gone. Instantaneously, we made plans to get on the train, without the girls, and head to Amsterdam. We had Eurail passes.
It was about an18 hour trip so we took nothing. Except that Skip took his ruck sack with him everywhere. I had nothing. While sitting in the train station, waiting….Skip took out his 3 ring binder with the milky clear pencil holder inside. I clearly saw a hash pipe. I told him to get rid of it. We were traveling through several countries and I had just seen the movie, “Midnight Express.” I didn’t want to suck aTurk’s dick.
He ignored me.
We sat in a crowded compartment with young people that didn’t speak English. As we passed into Germany, the German Border Polizei got on the train. The train had stopped. In an instant, 3 cops entered our compartment with machine guns and one went straight for Skip and screamed, “Hashish! Hashish!”
We all stood up which drew the barrels of the guns straight at us....