El Pulpo Octo Ocho

📌 Brand: Artesano del Tobacco
📌 Line: El Pulpo
📌 Size: Octo Ocho (7" × 38)Lancero - Culebra
📌 Weight: 10.1 g
📌 Age: 1 year
📌 Origin: Nicaragua

Tasting Notes

• Dark Chocolate – Deep, rich sweetness from start to finish

• Espresso – Bold roasted core with lingering depth

• Black Pepper – Sharp but perfectly balanced spice

• Leather & Earth – Silky, grounding base that ties the profile together

First Impressions

The El Pulpo Octo Ocho is visually stunning — dark, oily San Andrés wrapper with seamless construction and flawless box-press. Pre-light aromas offer cocoa, molasses, and pepper. Cold draw is ideal, rich with espresso and sweetness.

Smoking Experience

• First Third – Espresso and dark chocolate open in harmony, thick creamy smoke coats the palate. Burn razor-sharp.

• Second Third – Leather and black pepper join, deepening complexity. Strength builds gracefully without overpowering balance.

• Final Third – Earth and cocoa linger with refined sweetness; perfect construction to the nub, cool and flavorful to the very end.

Pairings

• Alcohol – Zacapa XO Solera Rum, layered with honey, spice, and oak, matching the cigar’s dark chocolate and espresso core.

• Tea – Aged Shou Pu-erh (China), earthy, mellow, and rich, reflecting the cigar’s deep texture and long finish.

Music Pairing

“Sofrito” – Mongo Santamaría

Warm and rhythmic, capturing the smoke’s bold sweetness.

Final Thoughts

The El Pulpo Octo Ocho is a masterpiece of balance and richness — full-bodied yet elegant, flavorful yet smooth. Every draw delivers thick, creamy smoke and evolving complexity with perfect construction throughout.

Final Score: 10/10
Why not a 10?
Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction, and satisfaction get a 10.
The Octo Ocho achieves every one of those effortlessly.