Today, we review the El Septimo Culinary Art Collection Nigori. One thing I appreciate about El Septimo Geneva is how they have built a series of collections. The Sacred Arts and Emperor collections are more recent collections that pay homage to the arts and history. Now, El Septimo turns to the culinary world, specifically wine. This is branded under the Culinary Art Collection. For several years, El Septimo has focused on the ultra-premium space. With Culinary Art Collection, the company focuses on a more approachable $9.00 to $18.00 range.

The Culinary Art Collection pays homage to different winemaking regions in France, Italy, Japan, and Spain. A different vitola represents each region. As we see below in the specifications section, while the blend appears similar in each of the four vitolas, each vitola has its own branding. The Nigori size we are assessing is a Corona Gorda offering that pays homage to Japanese sake. Some may argue this is technically a wine collection instead of a culinary arts collection. For this assessment, I’ll focus on the cigar.

So, let’s turn our attention to the Culinary Art Collection Nigori and see what this cigar brings.

El Septimo Culinary Art Collection Nigori – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

An Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper highlights the blend for the Culinary Art Collection. Ecuadorian tobacco is used in wrappers, binders, and fillers. The filler also contains Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Brazilian tobacco.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Habano 2004 from Ecuador
Filler: Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Brazil
Country of Origin: Costa Rica
Factory: Undisclosed

Vitolas Offered

The Culinary Art Collection is offered in four sizes. Each comes in 20-count boxes.

Bordeaux (Gordo): 6 x 60 – named for the famed wine region of France
Toscana (Toro): 6 x 52 – named for the famed wine region of Italy (Tuscany)
Nigori (Corona Gorda): 6 x 46 – named for Nigori Sake.
Rioja (Robusto): 5 x 54 – named for the famed Spanish wine region and wine.

Appearance (*)

As far as the wrapper goes, El Septimo delivers a pristine-looking wrapper with the Nigori. It has a beautiful light brown color with a silky texture to it. Depending on how the light hits it, it may give off some reddish hues. There wasn’t much in the way of oils on this wrapper.

One final note: this was a delicate wrapper and one I’d recommend handling with care.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

A straight cut was used to remove the Nigori cap. Once the cap was off, it was time to begin the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered a blend of creamy and cedar notes, accompanied by an underlying sweetness that I couldn’t quite identify. This natural sweetness from the blend was key to making the pre-light draw enjoyable. With that, it was time to toast the Nigori and move into the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Nigori opened up with cedar, cream, and black pepper notes. The initial puffs saw the cedar take over as the primary note, with the cream and pepper secondary. A cocoa and natural tobacco note emerged in the background. Before the midway point, the first third saw the cocoa and natural tobacco take over as the primary notes, with the cream, pepper, and cedar secondary. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered an extra layer of black pepper that was not overwhelming. There also was some cedar on the retro-hale.

The cream notes subsided by the start of the second third of the Nigori. The natural tobacco became the primary note, and the cocoa settled with the cedar and pepper notes. During the second third, there was a gradual increase in the pepper. The natural tobacco developed some bitterness, but it was not overpowering.

The final third saw the balance of the cigar go off track. The bitter component of the natural tobacco had more of a negative than a positive. The pepper now was the most prominent secondary note, which made the bitterness more harsh. There still were some notes of cedar and cocoa remaining. As the Nigori came to a close, it finished with a slightly lukewarm but cool nub.

Burn

The Nigori was a well-constructed cigar. The wrapper was fragile, but didn’t result in any adverse effects. The burn performed very well, delivering a straight burn path and a straight burn path that required few touch-ups. The resulting ash had a salt and pepper color. This was an ash that was on the firm side. The burn rate was ideal. As for the burn temperature, except for the final puffs, which were on the lukewarm side, it was also perfect.

Draw

The draw of the Nigori was excellent. It had a touch of resistance, which put the draw right in the sweet spot for me. This was also a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength, the Nigori fell into the mild to medium range. Meanwhile, the Nigori delivered medium-bodied flavors. While there was an increase in intensity in both attributes, the Nigori remained in the mild to medium range for strength and the medium range for body.

The body maintained the edge throughout the smoking experience in terms of strength versus body.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

El Septimo went for sleek and contemporary packaging on the Culinary Arts series, and they pulled it off well. The El Septimo logo on the primary band and the Japanese flag on the secondary band work very well. The red color also works well. I also liked the Japanese flag on the box.

All the boxes have a word on the inside vista related to “Bon Appetit” in the language of that country. The Nigori has some Japanese text that translates to “Enjoy.”

Packaging of the El Septimo Culinary Art Collection Nigori

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The good news is the construction of the Nigori was great, and the cigar even got off to an excellent start. However, as the cigar experience progressed, things began to deteriorate. While this cigar scored nicely in the first half, it didn’t do as well in the second half, where it got more bitter and harsh. The packaging was nice, but that’s not scored. Ultimately, my recommendation is to try a sample first and see if it’s for you. While I don’t see myself returning to the Nigori, I’m willing to try the other sizes.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cocoa, Cedar, Cream, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Fair