My first attempt at a review... no feces throwing! I have only a few sticks under my belt but this was probably the first one I can really make any comments about. I'm going to try hard not to use any food flavor references when I can. A little background, first:

Ashton is one of the world's most sought after and well respected super premium cigars.The standards set for quality control are unequaled.This famous cigar is manufactured at the FUENTE PLANT and is produced in FOUR DISTICTIVE BLENDS OF CIGAR LEAFS AND AGING PERIODS. ABOUT THE CLASSIC SERIES...A very consistant pleasurable smoke for all cigar lovers,the ASHTON CLASSIC has a medium body with nuances of peppery spice.The blend of 3 to 4 year old DOMINICAN tobacco,along with its rich golden Connecticut shade wrapper creates an extremely well blended rich taste.The draw of this cigar from beginning to end is never disappointing. Country of Origin: Dominican Republic Flavor: Medium Wrapper: USA/Connecticut Binder: Dominican Filler: Dominican Size: 5 1/2 X 44

This sample came from it's cedar lined tube in excellent condition; no rips and no noticable dryness. It appears to be a well made cigar aesthetically. Tightly rolled, but not hard to the touch. Wrapper was free of any noticable flaws. Post snip draw required a little effort, but I don't think it was excessive in any way. Smell was very stereotypical: a sweet tobacco scent.

Lighting a smoke isn't something I do well yet. Still, this sample lit without difficulty producing a grey-white ash that held it's own for over an inch. I unfortunately needed to relight this sample once, but the overall taste wasn't affected in any way.

And now, to the taste. As I have said, this cigar is aesthetically pleasing and well made. The taste was.. well.. it tasted exactly like you'd expect a natural leaf wrapped corona to taste. I found the taste to be very mild and quite pleasent without any acrid burning I've experienced in the past. At no time did this puppy try to bite back. It was consistantly mild throughout the length of the smoke. Very easy on the palate. The amount of smoke produced wasn't excessive or unpleasent. Instead, the aroma suggested a cigar was being burned in the vacinity and didn't want to disturb too many people. Draw was easy without being too loose, and this lasted throughout the sample as well.

Personally, I enjoyed this cigar. It's unfortunate that it's advertised as being a medium body smoke, although I can vouch for the "peppery nuances". I thought it was a good example of a well made, mild bodied cigar and for now, I'm probably going to use it as a reference for "mild bodied" cigars. I was drinking a Sprite along with this and I don't think anything stronger would be appropriate. A stout, or even an ale or stronger coffee, would seriously overpower it.

I think it would be a decent cigar for a newb, (like myself), or if your SO wants to try one, but they seem to be a little pricey, (got mine as a birthday present from Mrs. echo3mike), to be given away to strangers. A "five pack in the humidor for people you like who want to try one" sounds about right.

Try a VSG next