Cigar Aficionado

It isn't often that Ashton Distributors Inc. puts out a new brand under the Ashton name, but when it does, the company dedicates an enormous amount of thought and care into the release.Many years in the making, the Ashton Symmetry debuted in 2014, and the company could not have chosen a better name. If you take a bit of poetic license, you could interpret the word "symmetry" to also mean balance, and this blend is a case study in balance. Symmetry is made in the Dominican Republic by the Fuentes. If you're familiar with Ashton's portfolio, Symmetry falls somewhere in between the VSG line and the Cabinet line in terms of strength. In terms of character, it has all the finesse of an Ashton product, but unlike other Ashtons, the Symmetry contains some Nicaraguan tobacco. This is a first for an Ashton-branded cigar.In this blend, a pristine Ecuadoran wrapper brings together the Symmetry's Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco for a sublime smoking experience rich in black cherry notes, spicy cinnamon and coffee bean, and that's just on the first puffs. Notes of almond, vanilla and toast continue to unfold all in beautiful balance—or symmetry.

An attractive, reddish-brown belicoso whose slightly firm draw imparts herbal tea intonations and floral notes that become a bit perfumey on the finish.