This Dominican-made Churchill from La Aurora rolls in at 7"×47 with a $8.55 per stick price tag (box of 20). The medium-bodied smoke features an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper that glistens with visible tooth, housing a blend of Dominican, Nicaraguan and Pennsylvanian filler tobaccos. What sets it apart? The use of traditional Andullo processing where leaves ferment in banana leaf bundles rather than standard pilones.
First Third: Opens with black pepper spice mellowing into roasted nuts and cinnamon sugar. The draw produces cool, voluminous smoke with faint cedar undertones.
Middle Third: Transitions to melted caramel and Dutch-process cocoa. Some detect baking spices - clove and allspice emerge behind the primary sweetness.
Final Third: Earthiness intensifies with damp leather notes, balanced by recurring honey sweetness. A faint floral hint (think jasmine tea) appears in retrohale.
The triple cap holds firm through multiple relights. Burn line stays even without touch-ups, though the ash tends to flake after 1.5 inches. Most impressive is the smoke output - thick plumes even with slow, spaced puffs.
Let these rest at 65% RH for 60+ days. The Cameroon binder tightens up, reducing canoeing issues reported in fresh boxes. Pair with aged rum to accentuate the caramelized sugar notes.
