Serino Cigars has partnered with world renowned Cuban Master Blender Omar Gonzalez-Aleman to produce cigars out of his factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. Omar has an impressive cigar lineage that includes blending for some of the finest factories in the world including: The ‘Cuban Partagas Factory’ as well as ‘The La Corona Cigar Factory’ in Havana, Cuba which produced brands such as Romeo y Julieta, Hoyo de Monterrey, Cuaba, Por Larrañaga, Saint Luis Rey, San Cristóbal de la Habana, and some Montecristos . He now owns his own factory in Estelí, Nicaragua also named La Corona Cigar S.A. where he is blending his finest cigars to date.
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.
They also have a Sampler pack that includes all four blends. The fillers are premium 5 year aged fillers from Omar’s farm in Estelí and Jalapa, Nicaragua. All ‘Serino Royale’ binders are from Jalapa, Nicaragua. Once rolled, the Serino Royale Cigars have been resting in the ‘La Corona’ humidor since 2014, aged to perfection.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano 2000Oscuro
Binder: Jalapa, Nicaragua
Filler: 5 year aged from Estelí and Jalapa,
Factory: La Corona Cigar S.A.
Blender: Omar Gonzalez-Aleman
Number of reviewers: 4 – Mickey T.(irratebass), Gregg(McGreggor57), Steve(ThaGreatWazoo), Dave W. (mdwest)
Price: $12.00
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: May 2016
Contributed by: Serino Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 91
“Nice rugged triple capped toro sized cigar with a beautiful oily sheen to it that glistens in the light.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Aroma: 89
“A mild aroma of oiled leather comes off the foot of this cigar prelight.” –Dave W. (mdwest)
First Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The initial heat doesn’t disappoint as the cigar settles into a nice black pepper, coffee and cedary char. Leather come into play and really brings a nice balance to the flavors. As the third fades a little spice returns to the retrohale.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“I’m surprised at the very dry mouthfeel this cigar provides. I expected something a bit more on the oily side based on its appearance. The flavor is consistent with the pre-light aroma and is mostly leather with some hints of baking spice in the background. The smoke itself is a bit confusing though. It is creamy and smooth at the beginning of each puff, but turns quickly and has a touch of an acrid edge to it at the end. I’m not sure I’ve experienced this before with any cigar.” –Dave W. (mdwest)
Second Third
Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“While the peppery cedar char is still present some bread begins to develop, moving the coffee into the background. As the third progresses the yeastiness from the bread alternates with the coffee in the profile. The cedar is becoming less of a player nearing the end .” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“The second third continued with a light build. Still hay was the forward flavor, but more bread notes began to form. There was an adequate amount of smoke burning off and filled the mouth with a light amount of heat.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
Final Third
Flavor: 94
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The final third begins to mellow yielding leather, bread and coffee with a touch of cedar on the finish. The flavors are soft and muted. Some spice makes a futile attempt to return as the cigar comes to an end. Very nice.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“The bread and spice notes picked up in the first and second third have completely gone and the only flavor left detectable is leather. The smoke continued to get even more creamy and smooth through the final third and the cigar finished extremely well.” –Dave W. (mdwest)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 92
“The draw was nice with a straight cut. Initially, I thought maybe I didn’t cut enough off the cap, but I left it and it became better as it loosened itself up.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
Burn: 92
“Spot on, delivering smoke like a chimney. Even after long periods of rest this one picked up right where it left off. The was never a hint of it going out.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Construction: 94
“Excellent construction no retouches were needed. Fully packed cigar, but not too packed that it caused any draw issues.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Overall Experience: 94
“Great cigar with amazing cream & vegetal flavors with hints of wood, chocolate, and coffee. Would like to try this in a robusto, or corna size next.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“This was an excellent cigar from flavor to performance. The pepper and cedar char was perfectly balanced by the leather. Coffee and bread on the finish added a nice contrast. While some might think it was a bit one dimensional, I really enjoyed the profile.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“This cigar was intriguing. The beginning was very light and almost made me bored during the smoke. Then without notice, the heat and strength picked up and I was nic hitting. With a little time, I believe this cigar will have a smoother transition. The flavors were enjoyable and the aroma was delightful throughout. Give these a try after a little rest. You probably won’t be disappointed.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
“A great smoke in just about every way. I am not normally a fan of anything bigger than 50 RG, and rarely chose to smoke anything toro length or longer, but I would gladly smoke one of these again. The blend was nice, the profile hit a personal sweet spot for me, and the complete lack of a need for maintenance despite my inconsistent smoking over a period of more than an hour and a half, made smoking this cigar a very enjoyable experience.” –Dave W. (mdwest)
Cigar Info
The ‘Serino Royale’ comes in four different blends with vitolas that best illuminate the taste for each cigar. Maduro XX – Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro from Habano 2000 seed (Full Body), Maduro – Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro from Habano 2000 Seed (Medium to Full Body), Medio – Ecuadorian Habano Claro from Habano 2000 Seed (Medium Body), Connecticut – Ecuadorian Shade Grown Connecticut (Mild to Medium Body)
They also have a Sampler pack that includes all four blends. The fillers are premium 5 year aged fillers from Omar’s farm in Estelí and Jalapa, Nicaragua. All ‘Serino Royale’ binders are from Jalapa, Nicaragua. Once rolled, the Serino Royale Cigars have been resting in the ‘La Corona’ humidor since 2014, aged to perfection.
