Cigar Info
The Three Blends line features three wrappers – a sun grown Ecuadorian Habano, a Connecticut and a habano maduro – over a Mexican San Andrés binder and Nicaraguan filler including Jalapa Ometepe, Condega and Estelí. The cigar is an interesting shape, with the size being called a Half Box Press Half Corona. They come in boxes of nine, and they sell for $12 a cigar. The Three blends release is a unique vitola, a 2/3 box-pressed and the remainder is left as a corona. It is not your typical barber pole as the width of each wrapper leaf changes as it moves up the cigar.
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.
Everything about this cigar is in threes, including the box packaging in which the 3 Blends comes packed 9 to a box. The Veritas website describes it as: “Made with the help of Sam Leccia, the 3 Blends is completely uncommon. As a barber shop pole, it is exemplary, …But it’s shape is really exclusive. A smooth Corona cap that tapers into a beautiful boxed press foot. The Corona cap makes the cigar easy on the mouth, while the boxed press intensifies the smoke and the flavors. You have never seen or smoked anything quite like it.”
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Sun-Grown Ecuadorian Habano, Habano Maduro, and Connecticut
Binder: San Andreas
Filler: Jalapa, Ometepe, Condega & Esteli
Factory: Tacasa
Blender: Undisclosed and Sam Leccia
Number of reviewers: 5 – Isaac M. (The Nothing) Mickey T. (irratebass) Zane G. (Zane) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf) Gregg (McGreggor57)
Price: $12.00
Age: 7 Months
Release Date: July 2015
Contributed by: Veritas Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 89
“This is one cool box pressed cigar. It looks like there are three different wrapper leaves that are applied “barber pole” style…who doesn’t like that! The individual strips of leaf are a bit ragged, with some tears hear and there, and some of the strips are significantly thinner in various places, but it can’t be easy to roll something like this. The box press is firm, leaving distinct corners, and the cap is nice and tight…handling my punch cutter easily and remaining intact.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Aroma: 91
“Mostly barnyard with a bit more hay at the foot and on the cold draw.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
First Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“On the cold draw I get that milk chocolate with some creaminess. The beginning which I am assuming is the Connecticut wrapper had your typical flavors but once the darker wrapper (not sure if it’s Maduro or Rosado) started burning it became sweet and a bit of spice.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“The initial pepper on the retrohale is pretty intense and lingers for most of the third. Some leather, coffee and bakers chocolate finally make their way out from under the pepper as some nuttiness develops on the finish. This is a pretty powerful start to the cigar.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Second Third
Flavor: 87
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The second portion of this cigar has remained mostly mild strength but full of flavors. The espresso and earth are remaining but there is a distinctly bready note that is really interesting. The sweetness I detected in the pre lit aroma has returned and is reminding me of a delicious homemade caramel.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“The spice recedes enough to let you now it’s there without overpowering. A nice yeast and bread note develops which works well with the underlying leather. A light coffee mixes with some chocolate creating an enjoyable mocha latte type flavor.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Final Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The final third developed a bit of a charred wood note and had become a bit stronger. The sweetness has faded completely and the pepper has ramped up a bit. The smoke output has remained outstanding from the initial puff to the end which is great…lots of oil in the smoke is leaving my palate slick and making the flavors last long into the next puff.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“The bread begins to take on a toasted quality as tobacco replaces the leather. The contrast between the sweeter tobacco and the char of the toast really works well. The flavors mellow to the point where you just sit back and enjoy.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 94
“I was a bit concerned how open the cold draw was, but this one firmed up to a near perfect level once lit.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Burn: 90
“By their nature, a barber pole wrapper is not going to burn straight. Make it a 3-wrapper barber and they’ll all fight to burn at the rate that they like. While this cigar tended to burn a bit wavy, it was always consistent and did not require a relight.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Construction: 92
“This is a unique design that requires, in my option, someone to build a cigar with experience. Three different wrappers, the lower half box pressed, the upper not, not only necessitates an accomplished roller, but a a bunchero to put it together correctly.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 88
“This was a unique cigar that has a lot of things going for it. Besides is obvious appearance, do not think of it as a gimmick. There was some solid blending and rolling going on with this cigar to make it work. Ultimately I just wish it was a smaller size (petite corona) as I think the larger size just made it too monotonous.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“I was really excited to smoke this cigar since it first came in, I mean it’s a barber pole + box press + it’s rounded at the head….very unique in my opinion. The cigar had a lot going on with it flavor wise from toast bread, cinnamon to marshmallows, but unfortunately the cigar just didn’t want to cooperate with me and wouldn’t stay lit and eventually the wrapper started coming off.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“The first third was jam packed with in your face flavor. Unfortunately that’s where the amazing part of the cigar ended. It fizzled down for the remainder. If I could smoke that first third again I would be a happy guy.” –Zane G. (Zane)
“This was a very good cigar that had flavors many will love and almost everyone can enjoy. A good burn, good construction, and superb draw all equal a win for me.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“The final third was the star for me with perfectly balanced flavors of sweet and savory. The initial third had me wondering if this was a spice bomb but the heat backed off just before the halfway mark. I appreciated the nice transition offered during the smoke. While not flavorful enough for a special occasion perhaps, I would definitely keep some on hand.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 83
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Reviewer
|
Appearance
|
Aroma
|
1/3
|
2/3
|
3/3
|
Draw
|
Burn
|
Constr.
|
Overall
Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isaac M. | 90 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 88 | 93 | 90 | 95 | 90 |
| Mickey T. | 95 | 78 | 85 | 85 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 88 |
| Zane G. | 88 | 92 | 95 | 87 | 85 | 93 | 90 | 90 | 88 |
| Jason H. | 90 | 92 | 92 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 92 | 92 | 92 |
| Gregg | 90 | 90 | 88 | 87 | 92 | 97 | 88 | 90 | 88 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.