TheEspinosa Comfortably Numb Vol. 4 takes the series into Maduro territory, but Espinosa does it with a tobacco combination that makes sense. A darkMexican San Andrés Maduro wrapper surrounds a Nicaraguan Habano binder and Nicaraguan long-fillers, giving the fourth installment considerably more depth and richness than the cigars that preceded it. It's still recognizably Espinosa, but this is the darker end of the Comfortably Numb spectrum.
San Andrés can easily dominate a blend if there's nothing substantial underneath it. Here, the Nicaraguan core has enough character to stand up to the wrapper, resulting in a cigar centered onearth, dark cocoa and warm spice, with the natural sweetness of the Maduro keeping things rounded. It's medium-to-full, rich without becoming cloying, and better judged by the quality of the tobacco than by the flamboyant artwork surrounding it.
Vol. 4 is the one to reach for when the occasion calls for the richest member of the Comfortably Numb family. Maduro smokers should feel immediately at home, but there's enough Nicaraguan structure underneath the San Andrés to keep an experienced palate interested.If you've worked your way through the first three volumes, don't stop short of the finale. Vol. 4 finishes the progression exactly where a good tobacconist might hope it would—with more depth, not merely more strength.
