Arganese CL3 robusto 2 of 20

A small point of reference will be made here to the usage of the word "patroon".  While I was on the Arganese tour, the factory manager mentioned it and explained how the wrapper leaves were fermented and cured.  Nicotine is a volatile chemical substance, thus it decomposes at a faster rate than the physical plant matter, however it is still strongly present in the stems and veins of the leaf.  While processing the wrapper leaves, the stems are removed, and used later to concoct a brew, usually consisting of alcohols and fruit juices, or whatever their secret recipes are, and later reapplied to the wrapper leaves via a spray bottle.  The patroon is meant to reintroduce the lost nicotine back into the leaf itself, as well as other vestigial or completely foreign flavours.  This practice is not isolated only to Arganese, but a few other companies as well and after hearing of this I wonder how far off from cigarettes are cigars really in terms of production models.

Appearance - Honey brown hugh wrapper with some flaws.  The wrapper was not applied to correctly over the bunch as a small sliver of binder was peeking through where an overlap should have been.  The cigar had a slight barber pole facade, along with several spots of darker discoloration.  Indications of characteristics lead me to believe the cigar was not optimally fermented and cured, or the patroon was applied unevenly.

Construction - draw was still good on the cigar.  Still retains the same elasticity as the previous robusto.

Pre-light taste - a sharp dry cinnamon flavour was present.

Initial lighting - a spicy cinnamon flavour was once again present, however the flavours of earthy vanilla and coffee were muted, and the licorice was replaced with an anise highlights.

Aromas - the bouquet was still pleasant, although not as appealing as the previous robusto.  A pungent scent lingered, a mix of ammonia and vanilla comes to mind.

Flavours of the smoke - the diminished coffee and vanilla notes really changed the entire smoke.  Although near the end, they did represent themselves accordingly, that did change the complexity of flavours from the first draw to the nub.  Cinnamon is still a dominant element, and while the tangy licorice was replaced with a tangy but sharper anise, the combination of the two still provided an enjoyable 50 minute reprieve.

Summary - These two came from the same box, from the same vendor, smoked on consecutive days.  Proof that not all cigars that are in the box are made at the same time, nor to the same quality control standards, as inferred by the imperfection on the wrapper.  I wonder if the difference in the processing of the wrapper made the major change of flavours in the cigar.