You can purchase the Shadow King from our site sponsor Famous Smoke Shop. Make sure to use coupon code “CASASAVINGS” for $15 off orders over $100.

THE FACTS

Price: $6.50
Vitola: Churchill
Size: 7 by 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro
Binder: Mexican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 50 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

Shadow King by AJ Fernandez wears a beautiful, oily medium brown Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro wrapper that has some marbleization, mostly small veins, and a very fine tooth. The cigar is smooth to the touch and evenly filled from head to foot. 

An aroma of chicken coop, earth and vinegar come across as I bring the wrapper to my nose and the same pungent aroma is found on the foot, accompanied by some cedar and black pepper. The lines on the double cap are straight and, upon cutting the cap, a beautiful draw opens up with a sweet berry flavor, rich cedar, and some cinnamon.

FIRST THIRD

Shadow King Churchill opens up with a mixture of sour wood and pencil shavings, along with some leather and black pepper spice. The medium spice is hitting the back of my throat resulting in a minor itch. The carbon line is thin as the cigar burns evenly and an earth flavor lingers on the finish of the smoke.

MIDDLE THIRD

As I make my way into the second third of this 7 by 50 cigar, the flavors remain similar with the prior third. The flavors are medium in strength and the smoke is smooth in the mouth. As I pass the smoke through my nose, the spice is sharp, but just short of overwhelming. The carbon line has thickened, but the Shadow King continues to burn nice and even. Its at the halfway point that the body and flavors step up a notch.

FINAL THIRD

The sour wood has become the dominant flavor in the Shadow King with the last third underway. The sour wood is followed by a combo of leather and spice. As I near the last few inches, the smoke is now creamy in the mouth and a cocoa sweetness has joined the profile. With the sweetness moving in, the sourness is being pushed to the side and the flavors are balanced. 

WRAP-UP

Shadow King showed a linear profile with not much evolution until I reached the last few inches of the cigar. A consistent profile is not necessarily a bad thing, but, in a Churchill size, it left me wanting for. I really appreciated the cocoa and sweetness in the last couple inches and it was a great end to the cigar and it makes me think that a smaller vitola, like a robusto, may show more complexity. But with that said, the Shadow King Churchill burned effortlessly with a dead even burn and solid ash. AJ Fernandez certainly knows how to make a solid performing cigar. For the price, give it a shot. The next time I do, I will be smoking the robusto.

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