Sosa Auric Perfectum Piramide No. 2

In a cigar scene increasingly filled with newer, crazier, more bold, “flavor bombs”, sometimes it’s nice to smoke something tried and true, a cigar with heritage. Enter Sosa cigars, a relatively unknown gem among the masses in a modern cigar world. Sosa is a family-run operation dating back to the early 1900’s, priding themselves on tradition; creating classic, Cuban-style cigars with price and quality in mind.

Did I mention that Sosa cigars are made at the famed Fuente factory? Cigar Aficionado’s unusually high “93 point rating” of the Sosa Piramide is beginning to sound less “unusual”. In fact, Jose Sosa, master blender, handles all operations coming out of Fuente factory #4! Remind me again how I have not experienced this hidden treasure until now…

Enough gawking, let’s see how these old school stogies perform! Rolled in a classic piramide vitola, the #2 connecticut is a gorgeous cigar. The wrapper is a light brown, rare, Ecuador Connecticut, with a soft, velvety texture and seamless veins. It smells sweet, with light earth and hay notes, the qualities of a mild cigar. At 6 1/2 x 54, this is currently my favorite vitola; with a tapered head, allowing room for the user’s preference while cutting.

Cutting and lighting are clean, revealing a smooth, mellow smoke. The first thing that stands out to me is the long, creamy finish, a subtle flavor I might not have appreciated in the past. Honey, tea, and almond flavors dance around the palate, not demanding attention, while letting you contemplate their nuances. The draw was on the firmer side for me, requiring a little more effort than I prefer; a second cut further up the neck solved the issue (this is why I love this shape!). Definitely a mild to medium bodied smoke, this is a cigar that will not hit you over the head with flavor, rather make you earn it, feeling that much more satisfied discovering the flavors it offers.

At two-thirds into the cigar, the flavors are slowly evolving, still with green tea and honey being most noticeable, now an added cinnamon and a very light mint emerge. It is a refreshing cigar, in the same way a fresh mojito is refreshing on a warm summer day, the smoke feels cool and clean on the tongue. As the smoke is not overpowering, it makes for an excellent retrohale! With some of the more powerful, peppery cigars, I’ll usually only retrohale the tail end of the smoke. With this Sosa, I was able to blow nearly the entire draw through my nose, adding warm, hazelnut coffee cream flavors. The cigar begins to pick up a little heat nearing the nub, adding anise to the mix for the last few puffs.

Would I smoke this cigar again? At around $6 per stick, this is definitely a cigar I would buy and smoke again, I would even consider this a “box purchase” cigar. This Sosa makes for a perfect morning or midday smoke, or even a cigar I would start a smoke night off with; building from a creamy, medium body cigar, up to the stronger stuff to finish the night. I can best sum this cigar up as “refreshing”, think of the smell of rain or spring water, that is this cigar.

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