I stumbled onto a Santiago event at my regular shop (Big Sticks Fine Cigars, in Mesa, Arizona) and picked up a sample of each of their three blends (check out the others: Habano, Maduro). Here are my brief impressions of the Santiago Connecticut in the robusto size (5 x 50).

Wrapper: Connecticut seed Talanga
Double binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (Esteli, Condega, and Jalapa)

My punch yields a loose draw of fruit salad — wow! That is distinctive and nice.

Upon lighting the first flavors are creamy, savory leather and apricot breakfast bread of medium flavor intensity. A very complex starting character.

After half-an-inch it settled into ripe nectarine — now there is a complex fruity flavor. The intensity is approaching full. There is also a lot of black pepper in the retrohale, but not so much on the palate.

Starting the second third I’m moving into the garden with vegetals: green beans and sweet peas; still at a high intensity. This character quickly shifted to a dark roast coffee with a slight harshness or red bell pepper “bite”.

By the start of the last third the flavor has transitioned to having less distinct flavors and less intensity. Here it is a more blended and medium intensity mix of subtle sweet pea and dark coffee with that red bell pepper finish, albeit with less “bite.

On the way to the nub I noticed some occasional apricot with mild vegitals. 

Summary

“I think I’d like a mild smoke. Maybe this Santiago Connecticut.” STOP! This is not a wimpy Connecticut cigar for when you want something light and mild. This stick has it going on! This is for when someone wants a medium-full bodied, active and full of interesting goings-ons smoke. From the start of fruity bread through complex vegitals with relatively intense dark coffee and red bell pepper to a roll out of a more blended version of the previous, this is a cigar one will want to take some time to appreciate. The Santiago Connecticut is high on my list as “not just any Connecicut” and is a great value at $7.75. If you like shifting complexity in the medium to full flavor intensity range get one of these … no – get several. You won’t be disappointed.