Skull 77 El Unico Review: A Hellishly Good Smoke

The first thing I noticed about the Skull 77 El Unico cigar was the overall aesthetic of the cigar. From the skull smoking on the band to the smooth, perfectly formed wrapper, this is a cigar that has been well crafted. Removing it from my humidor, I was met by aromas of milk chocolate and it left a light coconut oil feel on my fingers.

I chose to use a punch cut for the Skull 77 El Unico, mostly due to it’s 58 ring gauge. The cold draw was full of cedar and bay leaf and licking my lips I discovered the sumptuous taste and feel of a light single cream had been left there.

The first third was filled with a strong earthiness from the bay leaves that I had tasted on the cold draw. This was joined by more exciting flavours from my spice rack. Hints of black cardamom bolstered the low earthy notes with cinnamon and nutmeg adding a gentle sweet spice over the top.

As I entered the middle section of the Skull 77 El Unico, the flavours segued into creamier dark chocolate. The sweet spices gave way to gentle hints of white pepper. At almost exactly the midpoint, I retrohaled to see what extra tastes would be revealed.

My mouth and nose were filled with a creamy, yet slightly bitter, cocoa. The smoke itself was rich, yet airy like a chocolate mousse and left beautiful tendrils floating in the air.

The construction of this cigar was beautiful to behold. The burn was so perfectly even that a set square could have been held to it and you would have struggled to draw a straighter line. The light grey ash had some dark grey veins running through it and when it fell, the ash retained its shape.

The final third of the Skull 77 El Unico started to mellow out and revealed dried fruit notes that reminded me of when my mum would soak the fruit for the Christmas cake in far too much brandy.

The white pepper and black cardamom that had been an undercurrent in the middle started to re-exert their authority without overpowering the rich smoothness of the other flavours. In the final inch a soupçon of aniseed started to join the mix which remained right down to the nub.

Did you know my website is entirely self-funded? I currently do this as a labour of love and am not sponsored by or affiliated to any of the cigar brands or retailers featured in my content. If you enjoy what you read here, please consider contributing to my next cigar review or article by donating an amount through my Buy Me a Coffee page. Thank you so much for your support x

Skull 77 El Unico Cigar Details