Epic San Andres Project E Review: New Cigar with Good Friends

The Epic San Andres Project E is as delicious to smoke as it is to look at. The Mexican San Andres wrapper that gives this cigar its name was a rich colorado colour and felt sensuously oily in my hand. It wasn’t a heavy oil, more of an light olive oil. Aromas of lightly spiced caramel tickled my nose as I admired the natural tobacco leaf monogram that took the place of the traditional cigar band.

I chose to v-cut the cute little pigtail cap and the flavours were no less mouth watering on the cold draw. My mouth was filled with the taste of fresh cream. Not the fresh cream you pick up at the supermarket, but cream fresh from the dairy’s first milking. This velvety flavour and texture was present right the way through the Epic San Andres Project E, though often in a supporting role to the other flavours that appeared as I smoked through the cigar.

The cigar lit easily and very evenly with a beautiful draw that allowed me to get plenty of luscious smoke and appetising flavours. My first draws were richly flavoured with leather and perfectly done toast. I could easily have lost myself in just the first third of the cigar had it not been for the good company of the Andy and Channon, the Gold Coast Couple.

As conversation flowed, we talked about everything from the ways that cigar culture differs either side of the Atlantic and how we started with cigar smoking through to music, travel and the weather. At various points our chat did turn to flavours and I was able to concentrate on the delectable tastes that were coming from the Epic San Andres Project E. Towards the end of the first third a warm cedar and juniper joined the party as the creaminess that had been present since the beginning developed into a beautiful vanilla crème brûlée.

The construction of the Epic San Andres Project E up to this point was flawless. I had a handsome white ash two inches long that was as perfectly formed as a stack of pennies. Watching the smoke was also bewitching. Exquisite tendrils danced in the air like the flame spirits in Disney’s visualisation of “Night on a Bare Mountain”. Alas, whilst I was enraptured by the smoke, I dropped my ash! Luckily though most of it landed squarely in my ashtray and remained firm so I didn’t have a big clean up operation to contend with.

When I reached the middle portion of the cigar, I noticed that the flavours had changed from sweet desserts to a more savoury spectrum. My mouth and nose were filled with the taste and aromas of a good side of juicy beef brisket cooking over an oak fired barbeque. The Epic San Andres Project E truly was giving me a three course meal.

Towards the final third, the meatiness took more of a back seat and allowed the sweeter creamy flavours to return to the forefront. The first to appear was 80% cocoa, extra fine single origin dark chocolate, very closely followed by creamy walnuts. Thankfully I had my cigar daggers to hand so I was able to savour the Epic San Andres Project E right down to the nub.

Aside from a the ash getting a little bit raggedy at points (I was glad that I had my brush to hand), this was a thoroughly enjoyable cigar and one that I am going to remember for a myriad of reasons.

I want to give a special shout out and thank you to Andy and Channon for spending some of their Sunday afternoon with me, and sharing this amazing cigar with me.

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Epic San Andres Project E Cigar Details