Ashton – San Cristobal

Well here we are with a long awaited guest review that I have been dying to get up on this site. This guest review is on Ashton’s San Cristobal and was carefully written by our good friends over at Toastedfoot.com. Toasted foot is a newer blog on the block, but don’t let that fool you. They come fourth with tons of great coffee and cigar reviews packed with great information and a personal touch. They are also very sharing people and seem to love to give stuff away. I am pleased to bring you this review, and ask that if you read it, and enjoy it, or even hate it,  leave a comment. Let us and the guys at Toasted Foot know how you feel!

-Tony

Size: 5×50, Robusto (Clasico)

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Strength: Full

Price: Box of 22, $157.95

Ashton Cigars and Don Pepin Garcia together revitalized the San Cristobal, a Cuban blend from the 20^th Century and a name that Ashton has owned since the mid-80s. Ashton kept the name largely in waiting until they came across the right blender. The ratings on the San Cristobal have been very strong and many have called it Ashton’s strongest release yet.

This Nicaraguan puro is sold in 8 sizes and in cedar chests of 21 and 22 and retails for just over $7 a stick when bought as a box. The available sizes are a Robusto (5×50, Clasico), Torpedo (6.1×52, Fabuloso), Corona (5.5×44, Francisco), Pigtail (6.6×46, Guajiro), Perfecto (6×60, Maestro), Churchill (7.2×49, Monumento), Gordo (5.7×55, Papagayo), and the Toro (6×50, Supremo). All sizes are sold in chests of 22, except for the Gordo, which comes in chests of 21.

I’ve had this one sitting in my humidor for way too long, so let’s toast it!

Pre-light:

First things first, the label on this smoke was an eye catcher. The Parrot on the wide label dominated the eclectic colored band, with San Cristobal at the top, all spread over a curling map. The Corojo wrapper was dark and oily with minimal veins and a well constructed, Cuban-style triple cap at the head. The Clasico was tightly packed with no soft spots to be found. The pre-light aroma was of mature tobacco with a woody barnyard aroma at the foot. The cold draw produced notes of earthy Nicaraguan tobacco with a hint of spice on the edges of the tongue.

Burn:

The San Cristobal toasted and lit well but a noticeable V developed right off the bat. The draw was perfect, producing an excellent amount of smoke with minimal effort. The ash was nice and white but it did not hold as well as I expected and flowered at times throughout the smoke. The burn corrected into the second third and evened out for the finish. The temperature of the cigar was very nice and never became too warm at any point in the smoke.   

Flavor:

The first puff on the smoke produced woody notes of tobacco with a short but pleasing finish. As I moved into the first third, the richness of the tobacco was prevalent and this produced a heavy finish on the palate.  One half of an inch in, the spice picked up but was not obtrusive at all – it laid into the flavor profile very well. The second third followed the above profile, but became more defined with notes of wood, nuts, and spice. The last third saw an increase in spice with some coffee notes interspersed. The flavor profile was excellent, complex, but not overwhelming.

Overall:

Pepin and Ashton have a great product in my opinion. Every time I’ve picked up a San Cristobal, it has been a consistently great smoke. Though not an everyday smoke for me at over seven dollars a stick, it is still worth the money for an every now and again smoke. Also, if you keep your eyes peeled, you can find these in samplers at a great price from some of the online retailers.

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