Initial Thoughts
The Azan cigar brand began back in 1870 when two Chinese immigrant brothers found their way to Cuba, more accurately the city of Manicaragua. In 1928 they started producing hand rolled cigars and they quickly gained popularity throughout the region. In 1938 the brothers won the lottery, literally, and invested their winnings into a state of the art cigarette factory. During the revolution in Cuba this factory became part of the state’s property and to this day still produces cigars for export. However, the cigar that I’m reviewing today is not from Cuba. The brand essentially was lost during the revolution, but in 2012 the brand was resurrected. That revitalized brand is what I’m reviewing today. Brought to us by the Roberto Duran premium cigars!
The Azan brand has 3 specific lines, the White Premium line, the Maduro, and the Burgundy. All with very similar packaging, but the main difference is the wrapper leaf used in each. Today I’m smoking the White Premium line. It’s available in three sizes:
I picked up a couple of these cigars at that same event where I might Mr. Roberto Duran. I remember smoking this cigar first at that event and I was blown away. So I’m hoping that I get the same effect this time around as well. Let’s jump right on in!
Looks
As I said above the Azan White Premium has similar packaging as the other lines that share the Azan brand name. The band is fairly simple. There is a star in the middle with what looks like a leaf as the main focal point in the star. Below that is the Azan name in a script font. The band is piped with a nice gold color to help make it pop. To me this band reminds me a lot of Davidoff. There are a lot of similarities, except the price tag!
The wrapper on this Azan White Premium is a gorgeous Ecuadorian Corojo. Seamless with a bit of texture to it. It has a bit lighter reddish brown color to it. Overall it’s a great looking cigar and I can’t wait to get into it.
Function
I rolled this Azan White Premium between my fingers and it had a decent bounce back to it. No soft spots to mention, but it’s not like touching a rock solid cigar either. So it’s a nice compromise. The foot is nicely packed but not over filled. I have a feeling this cigar is going to draw extremely well. Which I’m actually excited about.
I nip the cap off with my Xikar Xi and test the dry draw. Turns out I was right, the draw was wide open. I actually choked up a bit pulling some air through because I was puffing harder than I needed to. I’m ready to put the fire to this stick and see what kind of flavors we can pull out.
Smoking
I’ve either become smarter lately or I’ve just been lucky when it comes to holding an ash on my cigars. I think it’s been at least 3 weeks since I’ve dropped an ash on myself. I’m not gonna lie, my maroon smoking chair was starting to turn into a bit more charcoal color there for a couple of weeks. However, the ash on this Azan White Premium consistenly held over 1″ and never got too flaky. I was always able to make it to the ashtray without any issue. The draw and burn were fantastic all the way through. I never had an issue, the burn line wasn’t perfect, but I’ve stopped worrying about such trivial things in my old age. Enough about the burn! Let’s talk about how it tastes.
Flavor
Right after I nip the cap I began tasting some flavors coming through on the dry draw. Most notably was a sweet tobacco note and just a bit of spice. Upon lighting there is a nice build of woody notes. That char smokey flavor starts to build with a nice backbone of spice.
During the first third the most noticeable flavor is that woody savory note. Very distinct and powerful. That spice continues to play in the background. It’s very easy to pick up on the retrohale as well. I can’t pinpoint whether it’s more of a baking spice or something akin to pepper. That spice stays consistent throughout giving a nice bit of complexity to the overall flavor profile.
In the 2nd and final third a nice creaminess appears. I’m also picking up on a subtle note of cocoa. For me this cigar never passed the medium-bodied threshold. It stayed consistent from beginning to end. Overall, I’m a huge fan of this cigar. It kept me on my toes throughout the entire smoke and it was difficult to pin down that precise spice. So it kept me really engaged trying to figure out what it was. I still don’t have an exact answer on it, so I guess I’ll have to continue smoking them until I can pinpoint something!
Would I Buy It Again?
Absolutely.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Potentially. I love the cigar, but I wouldn’t want to burn myself out on it either.
Would I Buy a Box?
I’d certainly think about it. It’s a great cigar and is definitely box worthy.
Conclusion
Overall, I’m a huge fan of this Azan White Premium line. I would have to say it’s my favorite cigar from the Roberto Duran catalog thus far. I haven’t tried the Burgundy line yet and I’m hoping to track some down very soon! So if you get a chance and see these Azan’s on a shelf go pick up a couple. I don’t think you’re going to be disappointed. Also, if you can figure out what that spice is on the retrohale please leave a comment! I’d love to pinpoint it still.
