Wrapper: Nicaragua

Binder & Filler: Nicaragua

Size: 6 x 54

Price: $9.75

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was rugged looking, yet velvety smooth. There were some good sized veins but no flaws to be seen. The smell of the wrapper was barnyard. The foot had more of a sweetness with a tingly spice. Overall the cigar was evenly packed, and was rock solid to the touch. The pre-light draw had some resistance, but not too much. The cold draw had a hearty sweetness woth a woody flavor.

The burn required several good sized corrections, and the ash held for around an inch.

Flavor:

The first third started off with cedar, but quickly ramped up. There was coffee, cedar, and a nice peppery zing, especially when passing smoke through the sinus. A sweet dark chocolate joined in after about 1 inch in. The aftertaste reflected the same flavors, and it lingered for awhile after exhaling. At this point no flavor really stood out over the other. It was just a nice combination.

The second third had the flavors I mentioned before… Coffee with a dark chocolaty note. I say this often, but it’s worth repeating. I don’t mean chocolate that you get in a regular Hershey’s bar or milk chocolate. I am referring to dark chocolate or cooking chocolate. Anyway… The peppery spice calmed down and lost some of it’s zing. Wispy notes of cedar were noticed from time to time. The smoke was crisp and dry, with a lingering aftertaste. The body increased slightly, but remained in the medium to upper medium range.

The last third kept pace with the second third. The flavors seemed fuller and sweetness stood out a little more than before. But basically it was the same flavors in varying strengths. Saying anything more would be repetitive. It was good.

Conclusion:

This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. The flavors were well blended and refined. My only complaints are with the burn and the price. One side of this cigar wanted to burn faster than the other. If left unattended I feared it would canoe. Despite my complaints, I have, and will revisit this cigar again. They all don’t burn badly, but they all taste good.

Wrapper: Brazil Mata Fina

Binder: Brazil Mata Norte

Filler: Brazil Mata Fina

Size: Robusto 5 x 52

Price: Around $6.50

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was a little rugged looking, but not as much as I remember them to be years ago. There were no flaws that I could see. It had a hay-ish smell, and the foot smelled mildly earthy. The cigar was pretty well packed, with some minor hard and soft spots. The draw had some resistance, but fell within my tolerance. The pre-light flavor was mild and reminded me of hay.

During the first third, the burn was horrible. I had to do some major burn corrections because the filler was not burning as fast as the wrapper. Luckily the issue resolved itself after the first third. The ash held for around an inch.

Flavor:

The first third had a base flavor of wood. Behind it was an earthiness. When passing smoke through the sinus, there was no spice whatsoever. It was a mild smooth flavor similar to coffee and cedar. Towards the end of the first third, a generic sweetness was noticed.

The second third developed nicely. The sweetness became more of a mocha type of flavor, or at least similar to it. The woodiness and earthy notes remained behind it. Through the nose, there was an easy spice that left a tingle. There was also a flavor mixed in that I couldn’t identify. This may have been what I remember from years ago… Brazilian tobacco has an interesting uniqueness. I recall have trouble pinning down this flavor in the past.

The last third had a thicker smoke feel that was laced with sweet mocha like flavors. The woody and earthy flavors fell further in to the background. It was replaced with a spice that had a sweet tingle. Some draws were sweet mocha, and others were woody, earthy, and mixed with coffee. At other times, I could taste that elusive flavor I can only pin down as a characteristic of tobacco from Brazil. Glad to see it still stumps me after all these years.

Conclusion:

This was a good, solid medium bodied cigar. The guys I knew as the “Owners” of Dona Flor had nothing to do with this cigar. A part of me wanted to not like the Selecao because of that. But truth be told… I liked it. I don’t know if I liked it as much as the original, but I haven’t had one of those in years. I was glad to see there was that elusive flavor I recall from back then. I think Dona Flor is worth re-visiting, or trying if you haven’t had the chance.

Wrapper: San Andreas

Binder: Connecticut

Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaragua

Size: Robusto 5 x 54

Price: Around $7.50

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The dark maduro wrapper had a nice, seamless look with no flaws. The smell of the wrapper and foot was hard to pin down. It was sweet but I can’t compare it to anything. The cigar was evenly and solidly packed with barely a hard or soft spot. The draw was perfect, and the pre-light flavor was unique. It was sort of earthy and sweet, but there was something more to it that I can’t describe.

The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for over an inch.

Flavor:

The first third began with a nice and easy peppery spice through the nose. The flavor quickly developed, offering coffee and cedar. The smoke volume was ridiculous, in a good way. Thick plumes of smoke came off of this thing as I puffed, and even when I let it rest on the ashtray. It just smoked, whether I puffed on it or not, and I like that. Back to the flavor… In the background was a sweetness much like cocoa. The smoke feel was thick and somewhat creamy.

The second third took a turn with more sweet rich cocoa. The pepper became a tingly sweet spice that was encased in creaminess. Coffee and cedar remained, with wisps of earthiness in the background. Smoke continued to billow off of the end of the cigar. Despite being in a cross ventilated room with an exhaust fan, the room filled up with a nice aromatic smoke.

The last third saw the creaminess tone down a bit, but the smoke volume stayed the same. The woody and coffee flavors stood out more over the sweet cocoa. The tingly spice remained and may have increased a little. Flavors were nice right down to the nub.

Conclusion:

This was a very good, solid medium to upper medium bodied cigar. As you probably gathered by now, I liked it. Construction, flavor, nice smelling aroma, everything… It was very good. While this is no Liga Privada, it stands on it’s own and it a must try. What more can I say? Keep your eyes out for the Undercrown and pick a few up. See for yourself, you may like it as much as I do.

Wrapper, Binder, & Filler: ???

Size: 5.5 x 50

Price: Bundle of 20 – $31.95

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper looked good, with small veins and no noticeable flaws. It had a barnyard smell, and the foot shared the same odor. The cigar was a little spongy when squeezed, with some minor tight spots towards the head. The pre-light draw was free, and had an earthy and woody taste.

The burn required a few decent sized corrections, and the ash held for a bit over an inch.

Flavor:

The initial few puffs of the first third were earthy. Soon after, the flavor became a little buttery with some of the associated creaminess. The earthiness fell to the background, and I picked up some woody notes.

The second third kept the same buttery creamy flavor and smoke feel. When passing smoke through the nose, I could pick up slight earthy notes.

The last third developed a slight sweet spice, but otherwise remained the same as before.

Conclusion:

For a little over a buck, this cigar met it’s price point. Obviously it brought nothing special to the table. It was an OK mild to medium bodied cigar. I have run across much more expensive cigars that offer the same as this one does. Because of that, I say this is not bad. At least there were no bad flavors or harshness. How does it compare to the actual Padron? Give me a break, it isn’t even close. Clearly this is a gimmicky sales tactic, which I’m sure you’ve figured out by now.

Wrapper: Honduran Claro

Binder: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican

Filler: Connecticut Broadleaf

Size: Crusader 5.75 x 45

Price: Around $7.00

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The shiny wrapper had no real flaws. It had a somewhat veiny and rugged look to it though. The wrapper had a cedary and earthy smell, and the foot was more of a plain natural tobacco. The cigar was well packed to a rock solid feel. There were some harder spots here and there, which raised concern about the draw. Luckily the draw was decent. It had some resistance but fell within my tolerances. The pre-light flavor was earthy and woody.

The ash held for under an inch, and the burn required several minor corrections.

Flavor:

The most noticeable thing about the first third was the peppery zing when passing smoke through the nose. Next up was an earthiness with a sweet creaminess. The flavors were simple, but they were well refined.

The second third calmed down a bit in terms of peppery spice. The smoke was sweet and creamy, yet it had a dry crisp finish. The earthiness fell way in to the background. At about the half way point, cedar joined in. This crisp dry feel left me craving water.

The last third didn’t really offer anything new. The creaminess diminished, which left a spicy sweetness with a dry cedar flavor.  Otherwise, there wasn’t a lot of change to mention.

Conclusion:

As you probably gathered, I liked this cigar. It had some negative aspects, like the dry feel that left me with some cotton mouth. But the flavors were good, and construction was decent. It didn’t wow me, but it didn’t disappoint.