Calá Gran Reserva Robusto 3/26/17

 

Appearance 

The medium brown colored wrapper has a few prominent veins and is slightly mottled. The seams are tight and difficult to find and the cap is tight as well. There is a fair amount of tooth and a nice oily sheen. The filler is densely packed with no soft spots. 

The band is very attractive with nice color contrast. 

Aroma

Heavy barnyard on the wrapper. Barnyard and cedar with a hint of spice at the foot. 

Prelight Draw 

Cedar, fruit, honey and a hint of spice.

1st

The initial draws bring notes of cedar with a little earthy note alongside. The mild spice begins to develop right away. The draw is spot on. The burn is almost perfect at 1/2"in. The flavor profile gets a bit sweeter with some fruity notes pushing their way to the front. Strength begins at mild but seems to be moving. The fruity notes fall back into balance with the wood and spice. The ash is medium gray and stacked with a little flake. Smoke production is in the medium range. White pepper notes join the mild cinnamon in the spice category. Faint caramel notes join the profile. While removing the ash I notice that it is still very firm and would have held for a while. 

2nd

The burn while mostly razor sharp has a couple tiny waves. The finish is short with notes of cedar, fruit, caramel, earth and a mix of white pepper and cinnamon spice. Right away the burn gets a bit erratic but with some simple physics self corrects just as quickly. I notice a couple of very small tunnels which are causing the erratic burn. The flavor profile remains balanced and flavorful. Some medium roast coffee notes join the profile. The strength finally reaches medium. Creamy almond notes balance the coffee notes. 

Final/3rd

The final/3rd remains consistent thru to the nub.

The strength reaches the low end of medium+.

Overall

The Calá Gran Reserva Robusto provides a very enjoyable smoking experience. A very flavorful, complex and well balanced profile with a perfect draw and good albeit mildly erratic burn. 

A big thank you to Jose Calá @JoseJcala9042 for the samples for review. 

They are available at their website at calacigars.com

GoGetchasome™!!