Cipriano – Bellisimo

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.  We’ve heard that all of our lives and this cigar was a prime example.  I got this stick at the IPCPR trade show in Orlando last summer and it has been gently resting in my humidor since.  It rose to the top for no other reason than position recently.  And, when I went to do some research I wasn’t able to find out much.

At first appearance this is a nice cigar.  It is a medium brown color and is supple to the touch.  I punched an lit my cigar without problem.

This is is very well made stick.  It had an open draw and burned very evenly.  It held a long ash that was dark at the top and lighter for the rest of the smoke.

The first few puffs of my cigar were ominous.  It had a bitter bite and I was afraid it would be unsmokeable.  Yet, I persisted and was rewarded after the first half inch with a wonderful flavorful smoke.  The cigar burned cool and was a medium bodied or ‘lunch’ cigar.  After the initial bitterness, we had melon and sweetness the mellowed into a creamy taste.  Throughout he second third the cigar continued creamy with hints of chocolate and coffee.  Finally as I neared the end I picked up notes of cinnamon.  All in all, nice, interesting flavors.

I found this stick selling online and in stores for less than $6, which is a good price.  I think there is real value at that price point.  I am hoping that the bitterness I got was a fluke and the good parts were more representative of the stick.  At this price, I would definitely include this in my regular smoking rotation.