My Weekend Cigar: Don Lino Africa Kifaro
This weekend I reached for a cigar I haven't smoked in quite a while which caused me to ask myself, "Self, why haven't you smoked more of these?" I think it must have been that when I smoked the Don Lino Africa during its 2003 debut, then the revised-blend one year later, I didn't give either a fair shake. Then about two week's ago I got my hands on several different sizes and decided to give them a long overdue second chance. I started with the Don Lino Africa Kifaro, the 6¼ x 52 Belicoso in the series.
First of all, the Nicaraguan Habano wrappers on these cigars are beautifully dark and oily, and this particular stick was especially even in tone and neatly rolled. I'm usually a bit nervous about large figurados due to burn and draw problems I've experienced in the past, but fortunately the cigar drew nicely, both pre-light and after.
Once the cigar got going, it burned well through most of the first act, until it started to tilt slightly. However, the smoke itself made up for this minor discrepancy. The blend is very diverse, using Nicaraguan, Mexican, Dominican and African tobaccos, and the smoke had a predominantly semi-sweet, woody flavor that I would classify as "Cubanesque," with a pleasant hint of chocolate in the mix in the first act. During the second act, some peppery notes began to present themselves, which complemented some of the cigar's sweeter aspects.
By the third act, the cigar had blossomed into a smooth, full-bodied and much more complex smoke that remained consistently well-balanced to its conclusion at just below the 2-inch mark. Unfortunately, the burn never straightened out completely, but in fairness, I did note one of the filler leaves was giving it some resistance most of the way.
To summarize, this was a very enjoyable cigar that I could confidently recommend. I'm looking forward to smoking the other Don Lino Africa sizes I picked-up. Perhaps they'll display an even more varied flavor profile, so stay tuned...
~ Gary Korb
First of all, the Nicaraguan Habano wrappers on these cigars are beautifully dark and oily, and this particular stick was especially even in tone and neatly rolled. I'm usually a bit nervous about large figurados due to burn and draw problems I've experienced in the past, but fortunately the cigar drew nicely, both pre-light and after.
Once the cigar got going, it burned well through most of the first act, until it started to tilt slightly. However, the smoke itself made up for this minor discrepancy. The blend is very diverse, using Nicaraguan, Mexican, Dominican and African tobaccos, and the smoke had a predominantly semi-sweet, woody flavor that I would classify as "Cubanesque," with a pleasant hint of chocolate in the mix in the first act. During the second act, some peppery notes began to present themselves, which complemented some of the cigar's sweeter aspects.
By the third act, the cigar had blossomed into a smooth, full-bodied and much more complex smoke that remained consistently well-balanced to its conclusion at just below the 2-inch mark. Unfortunately, the burn never straightened out completely, but in fairness, I did note one of the filler leaves was giving it some resistance most of the way.
To summarize, this was a very enjoyable cigar that I could confidently recommend. I'm looking forward to smoking the other Don Lino Africa sizes I picked-up. Perhaps they'll display an even more varied flavor profile, so stay tuned...
~ Gary Korb
Comments
Good luck with your future life post-divorce Gary.
Rgds - Roy.R - UK