Canimao King George Limited Edition 2016 – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Canimao Cigars is small and relatively new company that rolls their cigars out of a small factory in Miami. The owner of the company is Mel Gonzalez and together with his Master Blender Vincente Garcia they have released 12 regular production cigars. This year, the company came out with its 13th and first limited edition cigar, Canimao King George Limited Edition 2016. The blend uses a Mexican San Andres wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and fillers from Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. It measures 6 x 52 and there were only 500 boxes made.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: U.S.A.
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Ecuacdor
Filler: Dominican Republic and Nicaragua
Factory: Canimao Cigars
Blender: Mel Gonzalez and Vincente Garcia
Number of reviewers: 5 – Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Kevin J. (maninblack77) Lauren S. (Lauren S.) Doug S. (Unpossible_1) Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Price: Undisclosed
Age: 2 Months
Release Date: Undisclosed
Contributed by: Canimao Cigars

Initial Impressions – Canimao King George Limited Edition 2016

Appearance: 92

“A rather formidable looking cigar in size and appearance. Draped in a gorgeous dark chocolate-colored wrapper, this cigar reminds me of looking at a chocolate bar. Nice soft box press that feels heavy in the hand with no soft spots. Some nice tooth to the wrapper with very little oils present.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

Aroma: 90

“Extremely strong note of old leather and oak. Right there with the wrapper, the aroma offers a mental picture of age and experience, or has it past its prime? We shall see.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

First Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Upon lighting the cigar there the powder hot chocolate mix is joined by a light pepper. Once the smoke is gone, there are loads of anise that linger on the palate. Smoking through the third, the anise becomes more prominent and a new note of dry wood starts to build. When I retrohale some smoke I find a pleasant note of rice crispy treat dusted with white pepper. This lasts the whole third. The smoke is thick and smooth and the finish is medium in length.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“The first third begins with a very light earthiness and a slight hint of the cocoa I smelled on the foot. A nice baking spice flavor is coming through on the retrohale giving a little interest to the blend.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

Second Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Sadly the second third is a repeat of the first. The flavors present, which include dark coffee and chocolate, are muted at best. There are moments when they come forward but they quickly dissipate. The only real bright spot thus far is the burn. Almost razor sharp. But some bold flavors would be even better. Not much to work with so far.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“The cigar seemed to tone down a bit in the second third. The flavors also switched up to whole-grain breads, almonds, cashews and shelled sunflower seeds.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Final Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The profile is much darker now. Spice builds throughout the third with notes of pepper and jalapeño oil providing a long-lasting heat. The retrohale has gotten darker as well. Notes of coffee, charred meat, and slight vanilla carry me to the end of the smoking experience. All of this has caused the body to ramp up and made the finish long.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“The retro on the final third has pushed into a heavy black pepper while the flavor of the cigar continues with strong leather and cocoa notes. Most of the more subtle complexity from earlier has vanished from the blend.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

Overall Impressions – Canimao King George Limited Edition 2016

Draw: 91

“No significant issues with the draw, as it really wants me to get the full experience of flavors going on here.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Burn: 94

“The burn light was thin and even for the whole smoking experience. The ash was a touch on the flaky side due to the soft box press but it held on for more than an inch at a time.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Construction: 87

“In the overall construction of this cigar, I can only nitpick a few things such as the sloppy cap application and the light draw.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 89

“This cigar was not at all what I expected. The dark appearance would scare many but this cigar was very approachable and should find a home in many humidors. I would be interested to find out what it is and will most likely keep a few on hand to enjoy after a hearty meal.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“Cigars of this size just don't do it for me. The larger ring gauge didn't allow the wrapper to move to the forefront flavorwise. The flavors were too muted to keep me interested. I'd love to see what this cigar would be like in a Robusto or Corona Gorda vitola but it didn't seem to work in this Toro format. Would I smoke this again? Not in this size.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“Overall this was a solid medium to full blend that smoked a long time. It slowly strengthened throughout the cigar and had a bit of complexity as it went on. The earth, leather, and cocoa were the kind of flavor I expected looking at the cigar but the baking spice and slight fruity note gave it a bit more interest. Something about it overall didn't hit perfect for me, I think because it kinda smoked and two separate blends instead of a well melded single cigar.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

“Have you ever had the pleasure of experiencing something that really just puts a damper on your mood that day? Every once in a while I have this happen and this is one of those times. For whatever reason, the combination of leather, oak, and walnuts really just does not mesh well here. I've seen these notes work in tandem with others, but here it just doesn't work for me….at all. It's unfortunate for me, but as they say, one man's trash may be another man's treasure. Namaste.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

“Despite a few shortcomings, mostly with the appearance and the light draw, this cigar is quite enjoyable. Flavors and transitions are plentiful and certain to help maintain interest. This is a cigar that can be easily enjoyed at any time of the day.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 98

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Canimao King George Limited Edition 2016 – Blind Cigar Review