It is fair to say that I’ve been anticipating trying this cigar ever since I heard Eladio Diaz was leaving Davidoff and starting his own company. I was finally able to get a sampler of Diaz’s solo projects from Small Batch Cigar…all 3 sizes of Before & After, along with the 70th Anniversary cigar. First up, before even giving them a chance to rest from a cross country journey, I fired up the Robusto size of Before and After, called My Family. It features an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper, Dominican Habano 2000 for binder and one of the filler leaves, with the rest of the filler composed of Piloto Cubano, Habano, and Broadleaf.
From first light, I could tell the anticipation was not misplaced. It had notes of hay and light earthiness up front, with a little sweetness on the palate and a very nice white pepper on the nose. Nothing was bold or dominant, but instead played on the subtlety and complexity one has learned to expect from a white label blend from the blenders old company. I paired it with a McClelland Islay Scotch whisky, a dram that has similarly complex notes without the overwhelming peatiness of some Islay beverages.
The Eladio Diaz Before & After is great, well worth the $15 or so asking price and a cigar I would happily buy again.
