Cigar Review – La Escepción Batet

Another in our ongoing series of reviews of cigars given to us by the good folks at General Cigar. Featured this time is the La Escepción “Batet”.

Vitola: Figurado
Origin: Honduras
Length: 5”
Ring Gauge: 54
Filler: Nicaraguan, Ometepe
Binder: Ometepe
Wrapper: Honduran Habano Talango
Strength: Medium
Price: $5.39

The cigar is produced at the Honduras American Tabaco S. A. factory in Cofradia, Honduras. It’s blend features the much talked about Ometepe leaves; fruits of the rich volcanic soil found on the island of Ometepe, located in vast Lake Nicaragua.

From the manufacturer’s website:

La Escepción was once a Cuban brand that stood in the shadows of Hoyo de Monterrey. Today, General Cigar is proud to unveil a wholly-new expression of this storied brand by honoring its full-flavored tradition.

La Escepción debuts with an entirely new set of distinctions, for this bold ensemble was developed in accordance with national consumer feedback and features tobacco exclusive to General Cigar.

Boasting the world’s first Ometepe binder, La Escepción is handcrafted in Honduras and boasts a unique blend of proprietary Nicaraguan tobaccos. Enveloped in lustrous Honduran Habano Talanga, this medium-bodied collection offers a modern take on the brand, with an intriguingly rich, bold flavor and model construction that is evident at the first glance.

Taking part in this review were the club’s three co-founders (John, Robert, Fernand). As is our usual method, we followed Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression).

Right off the bat, we were struck by the convenient size of this stocky little cigar (which I liken more to a belicoso than a torpedo). Just right for a warm spring afternoon, not too big, not intimidating. Up close, it’s not without its share of imperfections; some surface roughness, veins, bumps and the occasional spot or blemish. There’s still something appealing throughout all that – something ‘natural’ about it.

The draw was very nice across all three of our samples. The burn was fantastic as well, some of the best we’ve seen in a long time (love a cigar that burns trouble-free). The quantity of smoke produced was plentiful and comfortable. The ash held long, didn’t flake much and gave an impression of quality leaves.

The flavor started out with just a nice, basic tobacco essence. Then came notes of vanilla and leather. There was also something of a mildly acidic sweetness, like dried apricot perhaps. One of us got a pretty solid sense of charred meat, like well-done barbecue. It was never bitter or tannic; smooth all the way down.

Our averaged rating for the La Escepción Batet is 88.
Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 12 pts (80% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 23 pts (92% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 23 pts (92% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 30 pts (86% of the points possible)

We were very pleased to get to experience the Ometepe tobacco. What a nice medium-bodied experience. We do recommend you stop by your local tobacconist to try these.

Thanks again to General Cigar Co. for giving us the opportunity to taste these unique cigars.

© 2010 The Cohiba Club – All rights reserved.

Cigar Review – Coronado Corona Especial

Another in our ongoing series of reviews of cigars given to us by the good folks at J&J Cigars. Featured this time is the Coronado by La Flor ‘Corona Especial’.

Vitola: Corona Gorda
Origin: Dom. Rep.
Length: 5 ¾”
Ring Gauge: 47
Filler: Dominican Sumatra and Piloto Cubano
Binder: Dominican Corojo
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Strength: Full
Price: $8.10

This beautiful cigar is produced in the D.R. at Tabacalera La Flor under the watchful eye of Litto Gomez. It features a Habano-seed Sun-Grown Nicaraguan wrapper and a filler/binder blend grown at the LFD farm in La Canela, D.R. The current Cigar Aficionado rating for it is 92 (Oct, 2007).

The three samples for this review were scored by club co-founders John & Fernand and club member Patrick. As is our usual method, we followed CA's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression).

With a light, milk-chocolate brown wrapper cloaking an elegant roll, the only visual detractions may have been a few minor veins and noticeable ridges & bumps. Two of the cigars drew just fine, but one was way too tight at first. Fortunately, it improved as it went. The quantity of smoke produced was sufficient, but not remarkable. The ash tended to fall sooner than we’re used to, though it wasn’t a hindrance to the experience.

As often happens, we all found different flavors in this cigar. John noticed leather, anise, and dark chocolate. Fernand found a grassy start, followed by black tea, and later a savory mid-section. Patrick detected a cocoa powder entry, then breads & grains, and even a little roasted marshmallow to cap it all off. One thing’s for sure, there’s likely to be something in this cigar’s flavor profile for everybody. In the end, the Flavor category is where our highest marks were scored.

Our averaged rating for the Coronado by La Flor ‘Corona Especial’is 85.
Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 13 pts (87% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 22 pts (88% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 21 pts (84% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 29 pts (83% of the points possible)

This cigar doesn’t disappoint. For us, it seems, the performance aspects appear to be holding it back a bit. Incidentally, we have enjoyed other vitolas from this line before. In fact, one of those still resides among our Top Ten list (see the sidebar to the right).

Bottom Line: You won’t be sad you gave this brand a try, if you haven’t already.

Thanks to John at J&J Cigars in Shoreline for giving us the opportunity to review this very enjoyable cigar.

© 2010 The Cohiba Club – All rights reserved.

Gift Review – Padron 3000

Another in our ongoing series of occasional reviews of cigars given to us as gifts. Featured this time is the Padron Series 3000, given to me by my friend Mike-C back in April of ‘09.

Vitola: Corona Gorda
Origin: Nicaragua
Length: 5 ½”
Ring Gauge: 52
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua (natural)
Strength: medium-to full
MSRP: $123.50 for a box of 26

Produced by Padrón Cigars Inc., it features a dark, rich looking Nicaraguan wrapper and a sturdy parejo shape. The most recent Cigar Insider rating for it is 89 (Jun, 2007).

From the manufacturer’s website:

Founded in 1964 and evolving throughout our history, the Padrón™ line today consists of fifteen medium-to full-bodied, long-filler cigars ranging from Panetelas to the large “A” size Magnum. All tobacco in this line is sun-grown habano that is aged for a minimum of two-and-one-half years. Every cigar in this line is available in natural and maduro wrapper. This line offers exceptional quality and value.

Following Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) I had two cigars from the gifted sampler, about two weeks apart.

No-nonsense is the name of the game with these Padron Series cigars. Sure it’s rustic looking, but you know what you’re getting and pretty much what to expect. The draw was quite easy on both and they also had trouble staying lit in the second half. I appreciated the quantity of smoke produced, but found the ash a little unstable and gnarly looking.

The flavor was initially woody with just a mild, pleasant spice up front. I found it to be of mild-to-medium strength through the first third. One had a period of dryness on the palate during the middle portion. Both cigars alternated between sweet & savory with something like molasses during the final third.

After averaging the two scorecards, my rating for the Padron Series 3000 is 81.
Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 11 pts (73% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 21 pts (84% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 21 pts (84% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 28 pts (80% of the points possible)

As 80-89 is defined as Very Good to Excellent, it’s easy to agree that this is still a very good cigar, despite a rating like 81 that appears to be comparatively low.

© 2010 The Cohiba Club – All rights reserved.