As part of Abe Flores’ revamping of his company, including updated branding and adjusted blends, he has rebranded the Connecticut River Valley Azul which was branded on the Flores y Rodriguez brand. The Azul is now branded on the A. Flores 1975 brand. It also moved from 15-count boxes and 19-count jars to a finely dressed 10-count box.
The A. Flores 1975 – Connecticut Valley Reserve Azul has a blend described as:
- Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Rosado
- Binder: Jalapa Nicaragua
- Filler: Dominican Corojo, Condega Criollo Nicaragua
The Azul is expressed in 4 vitolas and as mentions come packaged in 10-count boxes:
- Robusto (5 × 52) – MSRP $20.00
- Gran Toro (6 × 54) – MSRP $22.00
- Lancero (7 × 42) – MSRP $24.00
- Churchill (7 × 50) – MSRP $26.00
For this review I sampled 3 of the A. Flores 1975 – Connecticut Valley Reserve Azul Churchills, which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press. It should be noted that the Churchill and the Lancero are new vitolas for the AZUL blend.
Pre-Light Examination
The A. Flores 1975 – Connecticut Valley Reserve Azul is well constructed cigar with its smooth dark tan wrapper that sports minimal veins and exhibits a light oily sheen. The cigar is firm from head to foot and is neatly finished with a double cap.
The Azul, like many of the latest A. Flores offerings, is handsomely dressed with with a large outer sleeve that covers a third of the cigar in addition to a bold blue, gold, and white band with decorative colorful florals and the name AZUL boldly printed in blue on a white background. It even has the blend printed on the side of the band.
Running the AZUL along the nose, I picked up inviting raisin, spice, and earth notes off the foot but not much along the barrel.
I used the Baller cutter from CigarMedics to perfectly open the cap and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs. The draw was spot on and it offered a unique flavor sensation that I would describe as a mix of cinnamon spice, fruit, and tea.
Using my single flame torch, I warmed the foot to an even orange glow and drew in the first puffs of white pepper smoke that certainly hit the back of my throat.
Cigar Review Notes
- First light offered white pepper especially on the throat
- Earthy notes quickly join the mix
- Cedar notes rest behind the pepper
- Light grey ash forms on medium thick and wavy char line
- Popcorn aroma wafts off the foot
- Ash fell in a decent chunk revealing a decent burn cone
- Dry fruit notes enter though the second third along with a mild spice note which reminds me of those spiced fruit candies that my grandmother always had out
- A hint of vanilla enters near the end of the second third and a nice dose of tobacco sweetness
- Sweet almond notes join the mix in the final down to the final
Final Analysis
When I first fired up the A. Flores 1975 – Connecticut Valley Reserve Azul Churchill I was a little shocked by the amount of white pepper notes that hit the palate. But they eventually toned down quickly as a cedar and earthiness took over. I found the early popcorn aroma to be always fun as I don’t always get that. I will say the AZUL was almost like two different cigars because by midway, the cedar, earth and pepper were gone and now I was being satisfied with notes of dry fruit, spice, vanilla, and even a sweet almond, to finish the almost 2 hour journey, which kept me puffing down to the nub. There was a mild wave in the burn in the first half but never needed a touch up and the ash carried well dropping in decent size chunks. I think this is one you may want to grab a fiver of. I will let one rest and see how it evolves in 6 months or so. I rate this a 92.
Point Deductions: (-1) Mild Wave; (-1) Not Balanced between 1st and 2nd half
