Cigars like ice cream come in thirty one flavors. Sometimes you just want plain old vanilla, perhaps when you want to relax and unwind on your back porch after a long day dealing with the challenges of the day-to-day. Then other times you want something like double double chocolate chip almond in a waffle cone covered with hot fudge and sprinkles. May I introduce the new AKA Hybrid MAD (Mind Altering Device) cigar. This delicious treat of smoking pleasure comes with all the toppings and a little something extra that is definitely unique to this premium blended smoke.
The AKA Story –
Taken from the AKA website-
“We worked non-stop for about a year and a half on the Hybrid Blend. The Hybrid Blend took so long to develop because we wanted to create something Special and unlike any other cigar on the market. The Hybrid is rolled at the Camacho/Davidoff factory in Danli Honduras. We are fortunate to be very good friends with Christian Eiroa and have known him for 15 years. Christian worked side by side with us on most all of our 8 trips to the factory in a year and a half span. It was on our trip back in September 2010 that Christian offered to let us use a Very Special 5 Year Aged Wrapper that his father ‘Don Julio Eiroa’ had spent several years creating. This Special Hybrid Wrapper comes from the Cross-Breeding of Cameroon and 59 Cuban Seed Corojo Seeds. The Hybrid Wrapper is a ‘True Hybrid,’ a ‘One Of A Kin’ and is only grown for and used by AKA.”
Additionally, the AKA line of cigars is a smoke with very limited distribution that can only be found in select brick and mortars.
Statistics –
Name: AKA Hybrid
Produced by: Camacho
Distributed by: Independent Representation
Country: Honduras
Factory: Tabacos Rancho Jamastran
Filler: Dominican & Honduras
Binder: Dominican Ligero
Wrapper: Hybrid (Cameroon & Corojo)
Size: Grand Toro
Ring Gauge: 60
Length: 6.25 Inches
Appearance –
The smoke’s wrapper had a warm rustic red hue, and it felt nice and firm in my hand. Even though I had some knowledge of the makeup of the Hybrid wrapper before I picked up the cigar, there was no evidence of anything outstanding from the look of the smoke. What was the most striking was the big red cigar band outlined in gleaming silver.
Construction –
With my first glance at this cigar, I found the cap to be a little off-center to the head of smoke. Not that I would have noticed this normally, but there was a slight tear. Doing some delicate trimming with my double guillotine, I safely removed the stray tobacco and had it primed to be enjoyed. There were no other obvious issues noted in the rolling of the cigar.
Burn –
This stogie smoked well for the first inch, then it began to canoe horribly. I would venture to say that an entire Indian raiding party could have fit in the gap that this cigar made. I tried to hide the severity of the situation in my pictures but I needed to use my torch to clean up the edges several time.
Flavor –
Let me tell you that this cigar had an abundance of flavor and strength right from the beginning. This stogie is a fruit salad of tastes that run the gamut from spicy smooth to a bold sweet, smoky citrus. As I smoked my way further along into the cigar, there was more bang and very little to detract from the Hybrid’s complexity. Also, there is a well-balanced, peppery flavor that ultimately took hold by the last half of the smoke that brought all the complexity that this cigar had to offer to a very satisfying finish.
Finish –
The AKA’s Hybrid wrapper works for me. I definitely find the taste and texture of the blend a major score. Even when all the other flavor tones were battling for supremacy on my palate, and even with the massive canoeing that took place, I found that this smoke delivered the goods. The delicate and distinctive taste of the Corojo wrapper scores a kill, and you will find it hard to beat the taste of this blend. However there is one side effect that will occur after you smoke this stogie – you just can’t help saying, “Kick-Asssss!” in your best South Park Eric Cartman’s voice. Oh, well…I guess there are worse things.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States.
