Emilio Grimalkin 2019 Limited Edition Robusto
Posted on June 08 2021
Vitola: 5x50
Smoking Time: 74 Minutes
Cigars Smoked: 3
Body: Medium +
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
MSRP: $12.20
Emilio Cigars comes from the ever-popular Oveja Negra Factory, James Brown's factory the is most know for Black Label Trading Co. and a few other affiliates. The Grimalkin is a Limited Edition release that has only been around a few years. It isn't released every year, but when it does come out, it tends to be a halloween drop.
Visual Inspection: The wrapper is a very dark brown, and appears to be similar in texture to a Connecticut broadleaf. Hearty veins are present on the wrapper, but scattered around and randomly placed. Which makes the seams invisible, both in part from the color and veins. Construction is very good, and no soft spots are present.
The Grimalkin has a very unique aroma which is rather hard to distinguish. It is a mixture of chocolate, barnyard, and a fig like sweetness, however the barnyard and fig are more prevalent. The cold draw is also very interesting, Fig Newtons, coffee beans, and chocolate, are most noticeable. That fig like sweetness is still very prevalent but has shifted towards Fig Newtons, it brings a rich, slightly bready profile along.
First Third: This is a crazy sweet cigar. Immediately the fig takes charge, and hides most undertones, chocolate does linger after exhaling, but so far it is no more than that. There are yeasty, whole wheat bread undertones, different from what I experienced in the cold draw. Notes of walnut and damp earth are trying to come through, but are still being masked by the fig.
The burn line is struggling to say the least, canoeing a whole inch down one side. But even with that unfortunate dilemma, the ash is still holding nicely, and has a light grey color. After touching up the burn line, I’m forced into the next third.
Second Third: The profile has slightly shifted, notes of coffee, dark chocolate, cedar, and yeast, are showing up and leaves the fig to linger after exhaling. The touch up didn’t make the burn line much better, but the construction still feels good. There has been no splitting of the wrapper, or the head cap, and if it weren't for the wonky burn line this cigar would truly be exceptional.
Last Third: While the flavors have stayed consistent, the order they appear has not. Fluctuating back and forth between sweet and bold. However I am progressively getting more hints of wood, which compliments the original flavor nicely. Oddly the cigar has gotten more medium at this point. I haven’t commented on the retrohale yet, but throughout the whole stick, it revealed a smooth cream that wasn't there before.
While the burn line is far from perfect, it is the best it has been the whole smoke. As we come to a close the Fig newton sweetness is back, met with familiar chocolate, coffee, and wood. A rethrohale still brings ultra smooth cream to the roaster.
Final Thoughts: While not at all what I expected from a Nicaraguan puro, this cigar is wildly unique. While the burn line was not favorable, the overall construction was great. I do not think the Grimalkin was released in 2020, but I am looking forward to another release in the future, and will continue to keep these in my humidor!
-Sam