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.
The blend uses a Mexican San Andrésmaduro wrapper replacing the original Ecuadorian sumatra wrapper while the binder and fillers remain the same. It is availble in the same 5 vitolas as the Tremont: Corona (5 1/2 x 44) — $9.20, Robusto (5 x 52) — $10.40, Toro (6 x 50) — $11.20, Gordo (6 x 60) — $11.80, Churchill (7 x 47) — $11.60. Cigars come in 20 count boxes. They are rolled at E.P. Carrillo‘s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. in Dominican Republic.
The name PLM comes from Paul L. Macdonald, owner of David P. Ehrlich Tobacconist for more than 40 years. Paul L. Macdonald is also the father of Barry McDonald, national sales manager of MLB Cigar Ventures. The Ehrlich family sold the tobaconist business to the Macdonald family about 40 years ago. David P. Ehrlich began working in pipes in 1881 under Ferdinand Abraham, opened a pipe and tobacco store in 1868 in Boston. Ehrlich married Abraham’s daughter took over the business renaming it David P. Ehrlich. This family store would operate in Boston until 2011. For many years it was considered the second oldest tobacconist in the country. It is also the first place Mike Bellody purchased a cigar.
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Light-Medium
“Directly after lighting there is a pepper blast that calms pretty quickly. Draw is tighter than i would like. Pepper doesn’t go away but it is in the background now. Coffee and chocolate occupy most of the profile and It is definitely out performing my initial thoughts of it. Fair amount of cream joins the coffee and chocolate.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“This cigar is starting out pretty nice. I was afraid it was going to be a power house with how dark the wrapper is, but the complete opposite. I am getting walnuts, chocolate, coffee and a creaminess on the retro. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Second Third
Flavor: 88 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Round 2 starts with a more leathery profile followed with minor flavors of sweet chili sauce and oak. The leather takes a back seat while oak, medium bodied tobacco, and mild black pepper shine. In the back end of this third, a semi sweet cocoa flavor sneaks its way into the oaky profile that carries me to the end of this portion. ” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“Believe it or not, but this cigar is becoming more creamy, and not just on the retro. There is still wood and coffee there, but it’s turning really creamy, and as you can guess the strength has not increased, still staying as a medium. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Final Third
Flavor: 88 Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Seems I spoke too soon, in the final third the strength picked up just a bit, it became a medium – strong. I got a bit of some black pepper mixed with the wood, there was still some cream going on, but just in the background.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“More of the same, but here at the end we’re losing out on the nuances that we’d seen in the background earlier. Gone are the spice notes, cream, and any sense of floral flavors, we’re back to baseline. Earthy and dry all day long. ” –John I. (John I.)
“Great burn it was almost razor sharp for the 2 hours that I smoked it ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Construction: 89
“Very well constructed cigar. Definitely added to the enjoyment of a lengthy session. ” –John I. (John I.)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 90
“A nice everyday cigar, nothing majorly special about it, but far from bad, anyone could enjoy this cigar. ” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Definitely an easy going smoke. Medium to full bodied flavors of oak, leather, light black pepper and a bit of sweetness made for a nice enjoyable smoke. It seemed like eternity to finish this long sized cigar, so I did get a bit bored and would probably enjoy it in a smaller format. Not bad at all, give them a try!” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“This was a great cigar. I was afraid with how dark it was that it was going to be strong cigar, but I was met with more cream that I anticipated. There was plenty of wood, coffee and just a bit of black pepper to keep my attention. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“I liked it. It wasn’t the best cigar I’ve smoked this week, but it was serviceable in terms of flavor and the impressive construction was a joy in and of itself. Core flavors became a bit tedious for such a long smoking session, but there always seemed to be hints of things happening in the background that kept it engaging.” –John I. (John I.)
Blind Cigar Review: MLB Cigar Ventures | David P. Ehrlich PLM Series Churchill
Summary
"Definitely an easy going smoke. Medium to full bodied flavors of oak, leather, light black pepper and a bit of sweetness made for a nice enjoyable smoke. It seemed like eternity to finish this long sized cigar, so I did get a bit bored and would probably enjoy it in a smaller format. Not bad at all, give them a try!" -John A. (Bostoneo)
