Right around the 1 hour mark now, a bit past midway. Burn is just a little too uneven. Hoping it'll do a quick run to catch up before I need to touch it up. The biggest flaw with the Le Matin is the burn--victim of the sharp press, I figure.
Lots of sweet tobacco--call it honey or creamy sweetness, along with floral notes and cedar. Very rich tasting core flavors--roasted coffee, dark chocolate, but very balanced and even. Just enough pepper to keep things together with everything else.
It seems a bit sweeter and more floral, over all, than the 2 year old Le Grande I had last weekend. Less wood and dark chocolate. Equally rich, though. The whole of the Illusione line really underscores the importance of vitola, in my experience.
Flavor-wise, I have no problems with the Matin once it has a little age on it. The sharp press makes the 46RG seem even smaller and results in harsh smoke if it's fresh or too wet or smoked too aggressively in the final third and it also seems to cause more burn issues overall (in my limited sample set, at least).
