AKA Hybrid ABS - Advanced Brain Stimulation

Wrapper: Crossed Cameroon and 59 Cuban Seed Corojo

Binder: 4 Year Aged Dominican Ligero

Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano and Honduran

Size: Corona
Length: 6
Ring Gauge: 44

Price: $8.45

Beverage: Diet Pepsi

Smoking time: 100 Min.

Humidor time: 2 days
Purchased: CigarEarth.com

Construction: As I removed the Hybrid from the cellophane I was immediately struck by how nice this cigar looks. The medium brown wrapper was smooth with only two very fine veins, it was firm but not hard to the touch, I found no spongy spots, no hard spots and no breaks or tears.

Pre-light: Putting this cigar up to my nose was a total surprise; the hybrid has maybe the best cold aroma of any cigar I have smoked with flavor notes of toast, almonds and coffee. The cold draw was easy and had the same flavor mix with just and added bit of pepper. I can't wait to put a match to this baby.

First third: Once the end was clipped and this stick was going, things got interesting. The flavor didn't match the cold draw flavor at all and it took almost an inch before I could really decide upon what I thought the flavor mix was. Don't get me wrong, the cigar tasted great, I just couldn't pin down the flavors. I had earth, leather, oak, toast, tobacco and a bit of pepper, but not tongue burning pepper by any means. I guess the flavor profile was a to much for my uneducated, under developed palate. So far the burn was dead on and it produced a nice light/dark gray mottled ash. Nearing the end of the first third a bit of sweetness appeared and the pepper also jumped up a notch.

Middle: I let the ash go until about the two inch mark and it probably would have held longer but I didn't want to make a mess. At about the same time the pepper subsided and the flavor mix went back to about the same as the first third.

End: As I moved through the final third the flavor mix did change, the sweetness came back stronger mixed with an earthiness and the pepper totally disappeared.

Overall: I enjoyed this cigar a great deal, the wrapper didn't fail, the burn was near perfect and the complexity of the flavor mix kept me guessing the entire time, earning this AKA Hybrid the number five spot for 2012 cheers list.

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