Earlier this year we reviewed the Anunnaki Anu, the debut offering from Don Emmanuel Cigars. Tonight’s cigar is a new limited release from the young company, packaged in a split box comprised of 7 Suns (Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper) and 7 Moons (Ecuadorian habano).
Both blends are aged in rum barrels with an MSRP of $350 per box. Here’s what Don Emmanuel’s website tells us about this project:
“A luxury limited-edition release developed in partnership with legendary Master Blender Eladio Diaz, created to deliver a unique dual smoking experience through two distinct blends in one premium box. Only 777 Numbered Boxes Produced Worldwide.”
THE CIGAR – SUN by DON EMMANUEL CIGARS
Size: 6 x 46 (corona gorda)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Price: $25.00 (while these samples were submitted for review, click on the Famous Smoke Shop banner on this page to receive the very best online deals!)
Upon sliding the Sun from its cello sleeve, there’s a faint cedar aroma present with floral and mint detected when sniffing the foot of the cigar directly. The cigar appears to be firmly rolled with just a slight give and no soft spots evident.
After gently removing the orange cloth band, I notice a long cut in the wrapper leaf extending about an inch from the foot. Hopefully it’s only a cosmetic issue but there’s only one way to find out. Flame On!
A quick punch of the cap reveals little other than a musty floral sensation. After torching the foot, sharp white pepper immediately floods the nostrils. It’s not an aggressive pepper blast by any means, just enough to grab your attention. The draw is producing notes of cedar and a hint of butterscotch candy comes and goes as well. The burn line is growing considerably faster in the exact spot where the wrapper was split so some proactive measures are required.
Some charred oak begins to creep in underneath the retrohale’s increasingly spicy base. In fact, the Sun’s white pepper is gradually morphing into more of a wasabi-like spice that is hard to ignore. But why would you want to ignore it? It’s a totally different story downstairs, where the draw does its best to keeps things settled and steady with its core note of cedar and slowly developing almond and mild leather. Grandma’s butterscotch candy said goodbye as quickly as it said hello. The corrective action had seemed to help straighten out the burn line momentarily but it’s starting to grow wonky again dammit….
I thump off the Sun’s ash (that sounds like it should’ve been a Jimi Hendrix lyric) and attempt once again to get the troublesome burn line in check with my lighter.
Despite the uneven burn, the Sun is drawing nicely and producing copious amounts of grey smoke. As we approach the fifty yard line, the retro is making its case for Star Of The Show. The combination of wasabi and charred oak is working very well. If you’re not blowing smoke out of your nose while smoking the Sun then you’re wasting your damn time. And, yes, that should have also been a Jimi Hendrix lyric.
When I attempt to remove the Sun’s “secondary band”, I’m surprised to discover that it’s all one singular band. With burn line issues now seemingly in the past, the draw’s profile has begun to puff out its chest a bit more. Cedar and bright leather are now pouring through in equal measures as the almond note, similar to the fleeting butterscotch, has now completely vanished. The Sun is smoking a bit dry but it’s nothing a few sips of water doesn’t remedy. As far as potential beverage pairings are concerned, coffee is the clear choice and you couldn’t go wrong with anything from an espresso to a white caffè americano.
The Sun’s wasabi spice transitions back to white pepper in the final act, with the charred oak note holding steady in its supporting role. Speaking of supporting roles, I would have really liked to pick up on more flavor cameos throughout the smoking experience like the butterscotch candy or almond notes that made a positive impact and then, unfortunately, promptly disappeared into the void. The good news is that construction has been very good here in the Sun’s final act with no maintenance required whatsoever.
THE NUB
TNCC Final Score = 88
This is one of those occasions where, ideally, I would have preferred to have more than one sample available to smoke for review. I wonder how much my repeated lighter touchups impacted my overall experience, if at all? But only one cigar was submitted so here we are. Don Emmanuel’s Sun features a complex, steadily evolving retrohale that impresses throughout the 73 minute smoking duration. If only the draw’s mostly singular profile of cedar and leather was nearly as memorable. For a sticker price of $25, this Sun should have shone much brighter.
