One of two offerings from the newest collection under the El Septimo brand. The Aqua Anu is a lighter smoke that falls in the Gilgamesh collection. As always it is very exciting to try new cigars from this brand.
STATS:
Brand: El Septimo
Cigar: Aqua Anu
Collection: Gilgamesh
Profile: Medium
Shape: Oily and Dark
Length: 6 inches
Gauge: 50
Country: Costa Rica
Tobacco Age: 10 years
Pricing: (Box of 10) - $190.00
(per stick) - $20.00
First Impression:
It is an exciting time when a brand you love puts out a new collection. That is exactly what is happening here. A new cigar from a brand I hold near and dear to my heart.
Pre-Smoke Ritual:
I inspected this cigar thoroughly. It had a great wrapper. Dark and oily. It felt solid. The aroma was great but not overbearing. I made my cut and was ready to light this beauty.
Lighting, Draw, and Burn:
This cigar lights up almost immediately even with the soft flame of cedar matches. The draw was on the looser side of perfect which was just fine. The burn was even and paced.
Flavor:
The first third of this cigar was exactly what IU thought judging by the aroma. A strong flavor of cedar matched with notes of nuttiness and pepper. The pepper was very noticeable, but did not make this cigar spicy in at all. As I moved to the second third the nutty flavor got feint and strong notes of coffee and cream crept in. The cedar remained in the front. The final third kept the same flavors but moved their places. The coffee and creaminess were definitely on the front line with the cedar becoming a st4rong note. The nut flavored remained in the background of it all.
My Preference:
10 days rest in the humidor is what this cigar found. I made my cut with an Xikar punch. My source of fire was an old school method. Cedar matches.
Final Thoughts:
If you are a fan of the cigars on the lighter size this may be the stick you have been searching for. I will say I enjoy medium to full bodied cigars the most and this was still very pleasant. I would definitely purchase them again and plan to do so.