Vital Stats:
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
Vitola: Torpedo
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Factory: Don Lucas Cigar Factory
Blender: Undisclosed
Number of reviewers: 5—–Wes (SosaCub4Life) Craig (WyldKnyght) Gregg (McGreggor57) Paul (pmr1010) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Price: Undisclosed
Age: 5 Months
Release Date: 2013
Contributed by: Don Lucas Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 92
“An attractive torpedo with a shiny reddish-brown wrapper. Minimal veins and cleanly finished cap and seams, though there was a split in the cap, but I think it will be cut off prior to smoking. There was no excess glue anywhere and there were no soft spots, however there was little give when I pinched the sides. This was a pretty firm cigar.” –Paul (pmr1010)
Aroma: 91
“Plain ol’ tobacco is what I get with the faintest aroma of hay at the foot.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
First Third
Flavor: 95
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“This cigar has started out very nice. The perfect mix of spice and creamy. The peppery spice is excellent but not overpowering. Perfect amount so far. Makes for just a very enjoyable smoke.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
“A lot of pepper flavors are present early on. Thankfully, the bite of the spice isn’t too severe. As the pepper fades a bit, there is a popcorn note that surfaces. Reminiscent of the husks from the un-popped kernels. About an inch in, the profile takes on a vegetal quality with a little chocolate mixing into the smoke. Like a lost teenager, I think this one is trying to find itself.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Second Third
Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Baking spices began showing up at the end of the first third and continued right on through the second third. The strength decreased slightly as the flavors increased slightly as well. Flavors of clove were light and a brothy flavor evened out the mushroom flavors I tasted early on.” –Paul (pmr1010)
“The second portion of this cigar had an emergence of pepper and coffee. The creaminess remained, which enhanced the coffee notes. The pepper notes I mentioned were not strong, and remained low enough that I would classify this as mild-medium in strength.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Final Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The final third was filled with lots of nutty goodness, and lots of thick smoke. Had to use the draw tool again to loosen up the draw. Great finish to this cigar.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)
“Still getting a mix of tea and charred toast. Leather is keeping the flavors from becoming harsh and a little pepper is returning on the retrohale.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 87
“The draw was a bit tight…but not bad.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
Burn: 88
“The burn was good, a little uneven and wavy in spots, but not bad.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)
Construction: 86
“This cigar had that nice rustic look that I appreciate. In addition, the performance was good, and the ash solid enough to pick up from the floor even after falling over three feet onto concrete! Burn could have been better but overall was acceptable.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Overall Experience: 88
“For me, this was an outstanding cigar. The perfect balance of spice, strength and great flavor. The construction was amazing and it was just a great relaxing and totally enjoyable experience from start to finish.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
“I really did enjoy this cigar even with the draw issues. The touch-ups did take away from the enjoyment, but in the end, the cigar’s flavor outweighed the negative burn issue.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)
“Outside of the initial flavors bouncing around a bit, the bulk of the profile was pretty one dimensional. I thought the tea and charred toast worked pretty well together and would’ve really benefited from either the chocolate or coffee that tried to make its way into the mix. Sadly this cigar left me flat and I would be reluctant to try another one.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“This was kept in a temperature and humidity stable environment since it was sent to me, any environmental issues should have been null. However, from the initial cap split to the complete splitting near the end of the smoking of this cigar, there were significant burn issues for the entire time. But the flavors were enough to make me want to continue smoking it.” –Paul (pmr1010)
“This was a nice creamy cigar but I really thought it was going to offer me more in the areas of flavor and strength. It goes to show that a dark wrapper and big vitola don’t always mean flavor bomb and strength bomb. This would work to help start the day, but I’ll stay away when I want more than just a cigar.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
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Smoking Time (in minutes): 85
| Reviewer | Appearance | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wes | 97 | 92 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 90 | 100 | 97 | 97 |
| Craig | 90 | 90 | 95 | 92 | 92 | 83 | 88 | 83 | 92 |
| Gregg | 88 | 90 | 88 | 88 | 89 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| Paul | 95 | 95 | 95 | 92 | 90 | 87 | 75 | 85 | 88 |
| Jason H. | 90 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 89 | 87 | 90 | 92 | 88 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
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