This is Agent 24. My mission was to review the El Primer Mundo Criollo Maduro. As a member of The Cigar Spy agency, I promise to respect the A.S.H.E.S. code of honor.

Target Name:

El Primer Mundo Criollo Maduro

Target Vitals:

Wrapper: Havana Seed Maduro

Binder: Habano Jalapa Valley Nicaraguan

Filler: Jamastran Valley Honduran / Jalapa Valley Nicaraguan

Vitola: 6 x 60

Year: 2009

Background Info:

El Primer Mundo is a boutique cigar from Atlanta, manufactured for Sean Williams by the Plasencia Family in Esteli, Nicaragua. David Blancos of Los Blancos handles distribution. Sean also credits David Blancos from Los Blancos, whom he calls his friend and mentor with helping him, get his start in cigar making world. El Primer Mundo is Spanish for The First World. Sean calls the countries of Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Brazil, the “First World” of tobacco and attempts to honor this Primer Mundo with a classic boutique cigar made for aficionados. (Background info gathered from http://www.primermundocigars.com/ )

Mission Notes:

We have a little bit of Indian summer today. Sun is shining, light breeze, absolutely beautiful autumn day. Great day to sit outside and have a cigar and enjoy the weather before I get forced to find warmer places to smoke.

Appearance and first impressions:

The wrapper is a deep, dark chocolate brown in color, has a few veins and oily appearance, very firm from head to foot, and has the smell of cocoa and earth. The initial dry draw is nice,; solid flow and doesn’t give any hint of issues.

Today’s pairing:

Pairing today’s Primer Mundo with an ice cold Stella Artois and then some cold spring water!

The initial draw on the Criollo Maduro is smooth. I am getting nice white billows of smoke. I taste some dark chocolate, equal parts sweet and bitter, along with a dash of spice. I would say initially, that this blend of flavors is very complex. The retrohale initially leaves a bit of spice on the sinuses, but it dissipates quickly and stays smooth throughout the finish. The burn is even, the smoke is thick and fragrant and I am enjoying this stick so far. It’s been common knowledge that I have been a bit aggro lately and my music selections have reflected that. Well today is 180 day, so we are going with some Andres Segovia! He is one of the greatest classical guitarists of all time and we are starting with Danza Espanola, Op.37, No. 5

As I get through the 1^st third of the Primer Mundo, The burn has stayed even, the draw and finish are solid and the taste has evolved. The most prevalent taste is still the dark cocoa, I am now getting a hint of espresso beans and the spice is still lingering underneath it all. Overall, it is a smooth experience and we will stay with the Master with Segovia’s Serenata from Impressions of Spain.

Now we are over halfway through the Criollo Maduro and it is still going strong. I did hit one minor burn issue, it got a little uneven and after a few minutes of trying to let it even itself out, I did have to do a quick flame to even out. This being said, this has in no way negatively impacted my impression of the cigar. I have smoked other Criollo Maduros with no burn issues at all. The flavor profile has changed a bit. The dark cocoa has become sweeter, but not overwhelming sweet, just a little punch up. The earth that I smelled at the pre-light has finally creeped into the profile. The biggest change has been the up in the spiciness of this stick. It has become much more prevalent on the retrohale and I taste it more in the back of my throat. I am big fan of a full-bodied smoke and this up in spiciness is refreshing for me. I enjoy it. We continue with the genius of Segovia with his Granada from Suite Espanola No.1.

As we move into the final third of the Primer Mundo Criollo Maduro, I am still thoroughly enjoying this cigar. A hint of sweetness, some earthy undertones along with the return of the espresso beans and the continued spiciness has, in my opinion created a very complex flavor profile that lets you know what is coming, but also keeps you on your toes. I had no more burn issues and the cigar finished beautifully.

Final Statement:

The Primer Mundo Criollo Maduro was a good smoke. It was consistent, without being boring. The flavor profile was complex, but not overwhelming. It started as high medium-bodied in strength and finished off as a lower end full-bodied smoke. Sean Williams is relatively new to the game (as am I), but he has the knowledge and history of the Plasencia family and David Blancos behind him and he shows a respect and love for the art of the cigar that will carry him and El Primer Mundo very far! I recommend going out and getting some of these sticks when you can!

Special Thanks to John Brooke from The Weekly Cigar (http://theweeklycigar.com/) for these sticks! Stay tuned for a contest from Agent 24 coming soon!!

-Agent 24 signing off