CigarChoice.net- Cigar Reviews and News

Yet another review from our friend Josh!  Check out his thoughts on the Panacea Green Label.  This is one cigar I have not had the pleasure of smoking, but I’ve really enjoyed every Panacea I’ve had in the past… Without further ado, here’s Josh!

Smoke Em If you Got Em, Buy Em If you Don’t!

Scott

First things first, I need to thank the people at General Cigar for gifting these cigars to me.  Not expecting a thing, I got a package in the mail.  As I opened it  up, it had 5 of the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Tabaqueros, and the Punch “smoker” box with a few punch cigars in it.  I have no clue why they opted to send this package to me, but I am grateful, and I am humbled.  Thank you General Cigar!

Now, on to the review.  I was intrigued by this cigar, as the band is not in the typical spot that you’d expect to find it.  Instead of being near the head of the cigar, the band is found a bit past the halfway point, and acts as a “line” seperating the two wrappers on the cigar.  Here is what Victoria McKee Jaworski has to say about the cigar, taken from the LGC Blog:

La Gloria Cubana is pleased to introduce Artesanos de Tabaqueros, the second edition in the critically-acclaimed Artesanos series from La Gloria Cubana®.

Created by Team La Gloria Cubana to showcase the artistry of La Gloria Cubana “tabaqueros” (artisan cigar makers), Artesanos de Tabaqueros cigars are a stunning embodiment of the time-honored craft of cigar making. So exacting is the skill required to handcraft cigars of this complexity that Benji Menendez personally selected an elite group of just 18 master cigar makers, representing the cream of the crop from El Credito Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic.

Meticulously crafted to combine two different wrappers and two distinct tastes in one eye-catching cigar, Artesanos de Tabaqueros is a world-class smoke that opens to a rich and intriguing spice and ultimately reveals a depth of flavor that can only be achieved through a precise balance of unique and rare tobaccos. Hand selected from General Cigar’s extensive library of Dominican and Honduran tobaccos, the cigars are dressed in both a supple Connecticut Shade and hearty Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper. The blend is made solely of proprietary tobaccos, each aged five years or more.

Presented with two different wood treatments to promote the unique tastes promised in each cigar, Artesanos de Tabaqueros cigars are protected in boxes of 25. The collection will debut in early April with three frontmarks, each named to according to its dimensions: 650 (6” x 50, SRP per cigar is $8.00), 652 Belicoso (6” x 52, SRP per cigar is $9.50) and 750 (7” x 50, SRP per cigar is $9.00).

“To truly experience this gem of a cigar is to smoke it and taste the masterful artisanship that comes to life when one wrapper ends and the other begins in balance and harmony,” noted , director of marketing for La Gloria Cubana.

-Victoria McKee Jaworski Director of Public Relations

Pre-Light:  As I took a look at this cigar, I couldn’t help but notice how seamlessly they managed to combine the Connecticut shade and Sumatra wrappers on this thing!  The cigar smelled very sweet, with hints of raw sugar, and a strong smell of straight tobacco.  The cigar smelled wonderful, and I couldn’t wait to light up.  I clipped it with my ever trusty Palio and lit it up with my Ronson Jetlite.

1/3:  As I took the first few puffs of this cigar, I got alot of the typical smoothness and hay flavors associated with Connecticut wrappers.  At this point, the cigar is burning great.  The ash is a little flaky, but nothing to worry about yet.  The burn is fairly straight, and the draw is darn near perfect.  At this point, the strength is a bit on the mild side, which is typical with Connecticut wrappers.  One thing I noticed at this point is that there is a bit of spice/pepper that is not normally found in connecticut shade wrappers.  Enjoying it so far!

2/3:  As I started on this portion, I had burned through the Connecticut wrapper, and was starting in on the sumatra wrapper.  As I kept smoking, The flavors went from mild to medium-full in a HURRY!  It could have been my imagination, but I liked it!  The Sumatra wrapper was offering flavors of nuts, spice, and a touch of sugar.  It’s still burning well, and the ash is holding decently.  Really enjoying it so far!

2/3:  As I continued on the cigar, the smoothness of the Connecticut wrapper was making itself known, but I was still getting a lot of raw sugar and nut flavors from the sumatra wrapper.  The draw is still outstanding, and the smoke is BILLOWING.  I haven’t seen this much smoke from a cigar in a LONG time.  Loving it!

3/3:  As I finished up this cigar, not much changed, but I am enjoying the nutty and sugary flavors that I am getting, so there are no complaints here.  Still buring decently, and the smoke is billowing.  I am really enjoying this cigar!

Overall Impression:  This is a cigar that I could definitely smoke on a regular basis.  With the mixture of flavors, and the nice burn and ash, I am really liking it.  It was a pleasure to smoke, and I am glad I have a few more.  If you can, I recommend you grab a couple to try!

Smoke Em If You Got Em, Buy Em If You Don’t!

Scott

I first heard about this cigar from @caocigars on Twitter.  I was really excited about this cigar.  With a price point of between $5.00 to $7.00 depending on size, this seemed like a nice price point.  After hanging around on twitter for a while, reviews started to pop up on this cigar, and the consensus was that the La Traviata was a VERY good cigar for the money.  After a few tweets on twitter, and reading through a few reviews on different blogs, I finally broke down and had a friend pick me up a few of these so I could review a couple.  I can’t seem to find them anywhere in California, so I had to rely on friends to grab me a few.  Thanks to Tim for hooking me up with these!  You can read about Tim’s take on the La Traviata over at Stogielife.com, another great BOTL’s cigar blog!

Wrapper: Ecuadoran Habano
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaraguan ligero and Dominican blend
Size: Radiante 6″ x 52
Price:  ~$5.95

Pre-Light:  As I took a look at this cigar before lighting, the first thing I noticed was that the wrapper was nice and oily, and had a great sheen to it.  Oily wrappers for me are usually a double edged sword.  Usually, with oily wrappers, the cigar tastes really good, but I also tend to have trouble keeping it burning straight.  As I ran this cigar across my nose, I got hints of spice, with a pure tobacco smell.  I clipped this cigar with my ever trusty Palio, and lit up with my Ronson Jetlite.

1/3: As I started in on this cigar, the first flavors I got were some nice earth tones, with a little spice on the back of the pallete.  As I continued on this first portion of the cigar, I got some nice coffee notes, with some leather.  The smoke was very creamy, and coated my mouth nicely.  The smoke billowed nicely as well.  I was also very impressed with the draw on this cigar.  It was a bit tight, but not so tight that I wasn’t enjoying it.  It allowed just the right amount of resistance.  The burn was a little bit wavy, but not so wavy that I found it necessary to take out my lighter and touch it up.

2/3:  As I continued on this cigar, I went ahead and ashed the cigar, because I really didn’t want it getting all over me.  It was a bit flaky, but at the price point, I almost expected it, so it wasn’t bothering me.  At this point, I got some more of the earthy, leather flavors, with a little spice on the finish.  The smoke is still nice and creamy, and plentiful as well.  So far, for the price point, I am certainly enjoying this cigar.

3/3: As I finished up this cigar, I got more leathery, earthy notes, with the creamy smoke, and nice spice on the finish.  I smoked this cigar down until my fingers were burning, and finally decided I needed to put it down, even if I didn’t want to.

Overall impression:  Overall, this is a really good cigar. The price point is one that cannot be ignored.  While its not the most complex cigar out there, the flavors I was getting were very very good, and the construction was outstanding.  It is my opinion that the CAO La Traviata is worthy of a box purchase.  Since smoking this review cigar, I have smoked 3 others, and they have all been just as great.  I really enjoyed this cigar, and I recommend any cigar smoker, new or seasoned, give this cigar a shot!

Smoke Em If You Got Em, Buy Em If You Don’t!
Scott