At the end of last year my friend David Blanco, from Blanco Cigars, called and asked me if I would like to sample and review something new. Of course that is an easy one and I responded of “course, what do you have?” He went on to explain that he has a new cigar that he crafted in collaboration with Bryan Glynn from CigarObsession.com and would like my opinion on it. So as these things go, David send me some samples. The first one I sampled was not ready for review, it was clear they needed to rest a little more in my humidor.
So after a solid couple of months I finally decided it may be time to check it out. The cigar itself is called the Cigar Obsession 1st Third. Otherwise known as the CO. Being the 1st third, one can only assume that Bryan and David may have more to come. It rings in at 6×62 and is a smooth box pressed beauty” as the Blanco Cigars website describes it. I have to agree with that description. It goes on to state that the CO is only available in a wallet-friendly 5-pack bundle.
There is not much else about this cigar online. I reached out to David Blanco and he filled me in that the blend is Ecuadorian Sumatra and Nicaraguan binder and filler with an Ecuadorian Sumatra Wrapper.
I am not sure if any of my fellow cigar bloggers have sampled this cigar but there is no other info on it other than the Blanco and Cigar Obsession sites.Well, if I receive a cigar I will do my best to review it, and in this case David sent me 5 so it certainly deserves a review.
The CO 1st Third starts off looking swell, with a smooth light brown wrapper that has no discernible veins and has some marbling to it. The packing is tight with no soft spots while the old sniffer picks up a faint amount of sweetness and cocoa off the foot.
After slicing the double cap, I pick up some more sweetness in the cold draw which is enticing me to fire it up but I roll it around a little more savoring the gentle sweetness before putting the flame to it. The draw is only slightly restricted telling me this is one I may want to smoke slowly. The first one I had I puffed to quickly and maybe that is why the flavor was not as pronounced.
Once toasted the first few puffs continued to deliver on the pre-light sweetness. as it got past the initial burn there was a woody and earth note that entered and the burn is showing signs of perfection. Pepper adds to the profile and offers smidgen of nasal burn that lasts only a few puffs.
Moving close to the second third, the CO 1st Thad provides a few shots of coffee that brightens up the profile along with a sweet slightly syrupy aroma wafting off the foot. So far the smoke is medium to full with a mild to medium strength character.
A bitter note enters in the second third that I would describe as bitter coffee. Not a bad bitter but one that lingered on the palate for a while. As I have noted in a number of my reviews, I find the bitter to be indicative of a change and this one lives up to the Boston Jimmie hypothesis, as the flavor shifts to a leathery note. As the dark Cubanesque ash falls you can see the construction quality in the perfectly centered burn cone.
The leather fades and a dark espresso bean flavor enters after the band is removed. The Band itself is simple in design with the white CO logo centered in the middle of a marron background. The CO is bordered on top and bottom with the words Cigar Obsession. The bottom of the band is a dull gold with the words 1st Third imprinted in white. The side of the band discretely notes that this cigar is “by Blanco Cigars”
The final third brought a slight cinnamon spice to the mix. I would have liked that cinnamon to have lasted a little more – but hey it’s not my blend..
For the most part the CO 1st Third was a smooth smoke with decent transition and excellent construction and burn qualities. It is at best a medium strength cigar that had a full body of smoke and last a solid hour of smoking. I commend Bryan Glynn and David Blanco for creating a cigar that can be enjoyed any time of the day or night. I will enjoy smoking the rest of these samples at my leisure.
Blanco CO 1st Third
For the price they charge, I found thid stick to be completely and totally underwhelming. Maybe all that “CO” has gone to Glynn’s head. He is clearly EXTREMELY impressed with himself.