At this years IPCPR, RP Duran cigars introduced a new extension to their Azan line of cigars. This time the company went with a Connecticut wrapped cigar known as the Azan Blue. This is the first Connecticut blend for the Azan line and it joins the White, Burgundy, and Maduro Natural siblings in the Azan portfolio.
Azan cigars is a brand owned by RP Duran cigars and as website declares:
Azan Cigars are the result of over 400 years of combined experience in tobacco growing, cigar blending and manufacturing and is supervised by a group of retired Cuban cigar experts. All are devoted to making the only Cuban Cigar brand ever made by Chinese, into a product with exceptional quality.
If you are interested in the Chinese connection, the Azan Tabacco web sites further explains:
Kwan Ben Sen and his two brothers migrate from China to Havana, Cuba, to eventually settle in Manicaragua, the center of Cuba. Kwan adopts the Cuban name: Domingo Azan and he is soon known by Cubans as the ‘Chinese from Manicaragua’. Together with his sons and nephews he starts to produce hand made cigars. The cigars become very well known in the region, using long filler tobacco leaves from Hoyo de Manicaragua, which is considered one of the top tobacco region in Cuba. Luck is on Mr Azan’s side, he wins the national lottery. He invests the money into building a state-of-the-art cigarette factory.
The blend of the new Azan Blue is described as:
- Wrapper – Ecuadorian Connecticut
- Binder – Nicaragua
- Filler – Nicaragua
They will be available in 3 vitolas and packaged in 20-count boxes:
- Campana (6 x 52) — MSRP $7.50
- Robusto (5 x 50) — MSRp $7.00
- Toro de Luxe (6 1/2 x 54) — MSRP $8.00
For this review a smoke through 2 of the Azan Blue Robustos
Cigar Review Notes
- Smooth medium tan wrapper
- I love how the blue and gold band contrasts with the wrapper color.
- Nice weight to the cigar
- My nose picks up a fermented leaf on barrel with sweet tea and hay on foot
- Cold draw offers a fruit wrapped in vanilla cream
- Initial light delivers a sweet creamy smoke with a light drizzle of fruit and a just a hint of spice.
- Right off, this is easy on the retrohale
- Coffee fills out the profile at the end of the first third
- The ash is salt and pepper with good form and a sharp medium to thick char line
- The smoke remains smooth and creamy through the second third
- The aroma is sweet chocolate
- A vanilla almond note enters just after removing the band
- A bit of earth and spice finds it way in at the end of the second with an almond finish
- Fine ash with a perfect burn cone
- This is light to medium strength cigar
- Total Smoking time was just over an hour
Overall, the Azan Blue is one of those Connecticut wrapped cigars that I found quite flavorful with no bitterness or bite to it. The cigar smoked flawlessly with an outstanding ash and burn. Excellent early morning cigar to get your day going. Pair this with rich cup of dark roasted coffee. At the $7 to $8 MSRP, it stands out nicely in a growing field of Connecticut leaf cigars.
Azan Blue Cigar