Even though I smoked an Anejo #48 last week, what better way to kick off the reviews than to make my first actual “thorough” review EVER(in general) of the Anejo Shark! I will post a review of the #48 soon however.

12/16/2010

2008 Anejo #77 Shark

Drink:  Coke

Vitola Size:  5.8 x 64

MSRP $10.25

A little background on this vitola, I believe it is released once a year during the holiday season which makes it a little rare even more than the Anejo Line in itself.

It’s a little under six inches long (5.8 by 64) that is shaped like a pyramid. Starts off around 64 at the foot before tapering down to a more manageable 50 by the time it reaches the head. Unlike the other vitola in the Anejo line, the “Shark” does not come lined with a cedar wrap. The red band is placed directly on the foot as opposed to the cedar wrap.

Price wise, at msrp($10.25), it has a very good price point to try. Unfortunately, once these cigars reach the secondary market and “unauthorized” distributors, one can expect to pay any where from $13 to $27 a stick depending on where you live.

The Shark I am about to review was gifted to me by the generous Shuckins(Ron). I believe it has a few years of age on it and that was evident also by the pressed shape it initially had to start rounding out by the foot.

The construction of this Shark was impeccable without any bumps or noticeable veins. In my limited experience, I found the Anejos to be very well constructed beauties.

The Shark’s appearance is simply beautiful with an oily sheen signifying some aging occuring on this cigar. The label is simple but classy and speaks for itself. I found this cigar to be very beautiful almost mesmerizing me for a few minutes. But that’s not why you’re here reading this…

The Shark had prelight smells of cognac. No other cigar in my opinion comes close to this fragrance. This is due to the Anejo being aged in cognac barrels for months on end before release. Once lit, I could detect hints of cedar, a flavorful woodsy smell and notes of roasted nuts. There were hints of pepper in the first third, something I did not experience much of in the #48 vitola. About ten minutes in, hints of caramel decided to show its’ face. As you can tell, the burn on this cigar is very even.

As I progressed into the 2nd third, hints of caramel appeared while being dominated by roasted nuts and bitter chocolate. A very nice mix that I enjoyed! I’m not too experienced with retrohaling, but I detected leathery flavors with more caramel. This cigar just keeps getting better…..progressing from the 2nd third into the last third, cognac and caramel become very apparent.
This cigar becomes very smooth with the previous mentioned sweet flavors continually shining through any pepper which was minimal.

The smoke on this cigar was very velvety and almost ribbon-like in the way it flowed from the cigar into the air. The burn throughout is very even and corrected itself whenever necessary. As you can see from the pictures, the ash lasts well over 2 inches insulating the cigar nicely.

This cigar is a good buy at msrp and allows the smoker to have expectations and win compared to other cigars in the same price point. However, once this is purchased at a higher price point, I feel the smoker expects angels to sing, etc.

This is a very very good smoke and it sits right up there with the #48. Every smoker should try this cigar at least once or twice.

RECOMMENDATION: BUY