Trafficante Cigar Company Yayo Short Gordo
Posted on November 15 2021
Vitola: 4x60
Smoking Time: 89 Minutes
Cigars Smoked: 4
Body: Full
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran
MSRP: $14
Traficante is a very interesting small boutique we have had our eyes on for a while now. Founded By Mike Poe in 2015, and inspired by his life experiences in the Narco-Culture. Their extremely interesting and robust line of cigars is produced in extremely limited quantity batches, this allows them to select only the finest tobacco for their cigars. The Yayo was the cigar Mike referred to as one of his best.
Visual Inspection: The first thing you notice about this cigar, and many others from TCC, is its unique hang tag cigar band. Looking past that, the wrapper is a beautiful brown color that reminds me of a Plasencia. It is milky brown, resembling that of a cup of coffee. Veins are subtle and match the same color, making them almost invisible. After squeezing the cigar no soft spots are revealed. There is no tooth, but has plenty of oil on the wrapper.
The aromas are very strong, and barnyard forward, and have a touch of wildflower sweetness to it. The head cap is very durable, using a V cut did not cause any cracks or breaks. The cold draw is quite tame, and is wildflower forward, with a touch of creamy coffee to it.
First Third: Despite the ring gauge, the Yayo took flame very well, and brings immediate flavors of familiar wildflowers, and new notes of baking spices, char, and honey. Surprisingly these flavors are semi-subtle, they are not as in your face as I remember them being when I first smoked this months ago. But the cigar has just started. Now it starts to lean more towards char, with a distinct taste, that is very woody and lingers long after exhaling.
This really tastes like a Crowned Heads Mil Dias but turned up to 11. There is a splash of cream that is lingering as well. Main Flavors of char, wheat bread, wood, honey, followed by the mouth feel of pecans. The burn line is wonky, but nothing too poor.
Second Third: As this third starts the flavors have become more bold, as has the body. The retrohale is sweet, and brings wildflower back into the profile. The habano ligero wrapper is very floral, and the mix of everything makes for a wildy bold experience. Walnut is becoming more prevalent, not just on the exhale.
After a touch up to the burn line, I hope it will burn cleaner. The ash is very firm, it has yet to drop and is grey in color. Flavors are still char, honey, wheat bread, cream, and coffee. The retrohale has calmed down and is oddly very light, bringing only amplified notes of wildflower on the tongue.
Last Third: The char has faded very nicely, now lingering after exhaling, The wildflowers have gained strength once again, while maintaining it’s cream, coffee, walnut, and wood notes. Smoke production is very ample, both when smoking and resting. When smoking quickly the char becomes more prevalent. Cinnamon starts to show up, but it is very sweet, like cinnamon candy, and the spice shows up on the tongue.
The burn line is, on average, even, but has some dips and waves. Still the best it has been the entire cigar. While this cigar is definitely full bodied, it is manageable, I haven't eaten yet today, and it hasnt made me feel queasy, or brought any unwelcoming issues. I really like the vitola of the Yayo as well, it is a very good way to experience the bold flavors, but not have too much kick.
Final Thoughts: The story of Traficante is a wild one, but with stories comes experience. The Yayo is a well refined Nicaraguan dominant cigar that has never disappointed me. If you can handle a full cigar, and the variation of char and floral notes, you’d love this cigar. Try a 5 pack and see for yourself why this company is gaining notoriety and turning heads.
-Sam