Flor de Gonzalez Spectral Aton (5 1/2 x 44)

Video review HERE.

(Description taken from Halfwheel.com website)

The cigar, which brings what Flor de Gonzalez calls a “new and edgy” look to its offerings, uses tobacco that had been aged for five years at the time of its rolling, and since then has been resting for five years in cedar wraps. Yadi Gonzalez Vargas said that Spectral is “a celebration of flavors, complexity and color.”

Spectral gets its inspiration from José Martí, the influential Cuban writer, philosopher and political theorist. In particular, it draws from his poem “I Have a White Rose to Tend,” which Gonzalez told halfwheel was significant because of “the white rose symbolizing the diversity of mankind and its synergy, peace, unity and good will to all men.”

The Spectral is available in three sizes, the 5 1/2 x 44 Atom (REVIEWED TODAY), 5 x 60 Cation and 6 x 50 Proton, with MSRPs between $8.50 to $8.90. As noted in the announcement, Gonzalez said that the names represent the positive charges that make up a core and are brought upon by anyone who smokes this cigar. “An atom, like the world, is surrounded by negative energy; but look deep enough and you can find the positive anywhere, even in something as small as an atom. We smokers are a positive force in many ways: we always come together, share, help and with positive emphasis we try to prove a point to our government about our premium cigars!”

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaraguan and Peru

The cigar has a fairly light feel in the hand. Here is a shot of the foot.

The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors were cedar, tea berry, cream, and black pepper rated at an 8+. The tea berry flavor reminds me of an old fashioned chewing gum called tea berry so that's where I get that flavor from.

Close to an inch in there is a dry, sweet cedar with butter. The tea berry may have gone away. The black pepper remains very good. the finish is a buttery cream with some nice lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium bodied but I expect it to move up quickly.

2 inches in I realized that I made a mistake. The tea berry is not gone at all. It's at a lower level and is definitely attached to the dry cedar and butter. It is a nice flavor and I'm actually glad it's not gone.

With about 2 1/2 inches remaining the pepper has toned down to about a 7. In it's place is now black coffee. Perhaps it was there all alone but the pepper was so intense I thought the lower level flavor was only pepper. The finish is a buttery toasted cream and the lingering black pepper has also toned down. The cigar is medium to full bodied at this point.

At the end 2 things surprised me; the butter is almost gone. It is very faint. The coffee notes are elevated. The pepper is still around a 7. And, the cigar reached full bodied. It hit full bodied just after the last segment. The finish is unchanged. This was a good cigar that made several twists and changes. I purchased this cigar at a local shop so look for them at your local shop and give them a try.

Score: 92