The “Revisited” review concept allow us to perform a follow up review on a cigar we have reviewed previously. These follow up reviews will be performed when the cigar has a year or more of age on them to see if time has been kind or not so kind to the cigar. The same reviewers are participating in both the original and follow up reviews whenever possible.
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: Churchill
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 48
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Indonesian Sumatra
Binder: Besuki
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: NACSA
Blender: Carol Jean Llaneza
Number of reviewers: 5—–Gregg (McGreggor57) Dave (mdwest) Robert (NavyPiper) Wes (SosaCub4Life) Emmett (rhetorik)
Price: $2.33
Age: 1 Year, 3 Months
Release Date: June 2013
Contributed by: Royal Gold Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 87
“This cigar has a pretty rustic look to it. The wrapper is a little dry looking with a few big lumps and veins. It has a bit of a green shade to it, so I’m thinking it may be a Cameroon. There are a few water spots and a nice triple cap.” –Emmett (rhetorik)
Aroma: 88
“Not much coming off the wrapper except for a bit of leather. The foot offers a mild barnyard while the cold draw is sweet hay.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
First Third
Flavor: 85
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot when I first fired this stick up. The appearance lead me to believe I was more than likely going to have a less than pleasant experience. The first third validates the old expression about never judging a book by its cover, as so far at least, this isn’t a bad stick at all, with grass and vegetal type notes and a slight twang on the finish that is very Cubanesque.” –Dave (mdwest)
“The first puffs are quite mild, but there is a nice toast flavor. Further in, there is not much new flavor-wise going on, just a little more of that toast flavor with some leather in the background. The draw is very good producing a decent amount of smoke and I haven’t had to touch the burn. This third finishes out pretty much the way it started, which is pleasing, but I hope the next thirds offer some more.” –Emmett (rhetorik)
Second Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“This is a better third than the first, which was rather disappointing. Tobacco eased up some, and the hint of spice started to gradually ramp up. Had a nice heat on the palate and through the nose. Definitely an improvement over the first.” –Robert (NavyPiper)
“The draw has loosened up and now the stick it producing lots of smoke. It has seemed to help with the flavor, providing more spice and a nice creaminess to the cigar as well.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
Final Third
Flavor: 87
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Leather is creeping into the mix of oak and cedar. It’s still allowing the occasional bite on the retrohale but also not letting it get out of hand. A mellow char and smokiness really sets up well against the wood profile.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“Not a whole lot of change from the previous third, if anything, the leather and spices have backed off a bit. I would describe this third as “dry” and a bit hot. It’s not bad, but not where I was hoping this would go.” –Emmett (rhetorik)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 89
“The draw was pretty tight at the start but then loosened up and was smokeable the rest of the way.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
Burn: 88
“A zero maintenance burn with surprisingly consistent combustion considering the inconsistent pack.” –Dave (mdwest)
Construction: 87
“Prior to lighting up, noticed that the stogie had some soft spots and super firm spots in it. While smoking, it didn’t seem to pose any problems.” –Robert (NavyPiper)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Overall Experience: 88
“The lack of flavors in the first two thirds combined with the occasional mineral taste would relegate this cigar to the golf course or behind the mower. The final third, however, showed some promise. Even still, there wasn’t a lot of interest offered.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“Overall, not a bad cigar, and I would smoke it again in the future, but sadly, I cant say much more positive about it other than that. It at no time struck me as great or anything I would go intentionally seek out or get excited about.” –Dave (mdwest)
“After a rather disappointing first third, things started to improve in the second and final thirds. Not a whole lot of changes, and was not very thrilling to me. Probably would smoke another, but wouldn’t go out of my way for one.” –Robert (NavyPiper)
“Overall, the cigar was just OK. It was very soft and had some burn and construction issues. The flavor was nothing special to me and pretty consistent throughout. I’d have to pass on this one.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
“Overall, I did enjoy this cigar, but I’m not sure I would seek more. It was just a little boring and mild for my taste. Given the notes of toast, leather, spice and green color, I’m pretty sure this was a Cameroon wrapper, but not my favorite by any means. I would smoke another, but don’t think I would buy one.” –Emmett (rhetorik)
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Smoking Time (in minutes): 83
Original Score: 87 (Fair)
To view the original review, click here.
| Reviewer | Appearance | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gregg | 87 | 90 | 85 | 85 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 88 |
| Dave | 83 | 88 | 87 | 88 | 85 | 88 | 90 | 85 | 88 |
| Robert | 85 | 85 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 85 |
| Wes | 92 | 97 | 85 | 90 | 87 | 90 | 88 | 85 | 88 |
| Emmett | 87 | 90 | 85 | 88 | 85 | 97 | 100 | 90 | 88 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.