Sancho Panza Non Plus (2005)

Size: 42 × 129 (5.1”)

Shape: Petit Corona

Filler: Cuba

Binder: Cuba

Wrapper: Cuba

Smoking Time: 45 min.

Beverage: None

As we've mentioned in other posts, Sancho Panza is a lesser-known Cuban brand that rarely gets reviewed.  Named after the squire in Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's novel Don Quixote, Sancho Panza cigars were among the most popular in Europe during the 1930's and 40's.  However, what was once a line with 13 different sizes has now been reduced to only three: the Belicosos, the Molinos, and the Non Plus.  The cigar smoked for this review was obtained from a small shop in Havana and was produced in 2005.

The cigar was well rolled and had a nice bit of sheen to it, with no soft spots and a great triple cap.  After clipping, the pre-light draw was perfect and tasted of tobacco and oats.  The first few puffs gave off easily detectable woodsy flavours and a surprising sweetness on the palate that would normally be expected in a maduro.  The body was decidedly medium for the first half, with the flavours of wood and sweetness being joined by some mild spice.  However, soon after the half-way point, the body (and strength) jacked up to medium-full, with the wood flavours replaced by a prominent earth-and-leather flavour that lingered on the finish.  What began as a very balanced smoke turned into a bit of a mish-mash of oddly-placed flavours; however, the cigar continued to produce a good amount of smoke throughout its short life.

The Non Plus is a unique and probably underrated petit corona that I'd smoke again, and it's a good choice after a light meal or as an accompaniment to an afternoon coffee.  While it won't blow your mind with its complexity, it certainly deserves the decent rating of two and a half Fidels out of five.

Cohiba Siglo VI

Size: 52 × 150 (5.9”)

Shape: Robusto Extra

Filler: Cuba

Binder: Cuba

Wrapper: Cuba

Smoking Time: 1 ½ hours

As those of you who follow our cigar blog know, we smoke once a week.  We look forward to smoking all week and we spend considerable time talking about what we will be smoking.  We expect nothing but the best from our weekly cigar.  This week we chose to smoke an H. Upmann Sir Winston – a most beloved and well-known Cuban.   However, after lighting the Sir Winston we found that although it was a nice looking and well-constructed cigar, it was terribly lacking in flavour and was in considerable need of some resting time in the humidor.  Therefore, we did what we always do when a cigar is not up to snuff…we set it aside and walk into the humidor of our favourite cigar smoking hangout to carefully choose another one.  We came across a half-empty box of Cohiba Siglo VI’s from 2007 and decided that, despite the considerable $50 price tag per stick, it had been a sufficiently stressful week to justify such a prohibitive investment.

The Cohiba line is billeted as the best that Cuba has to offer.  The Siglo VI was added to the Linea 1492 line of cigars in 2002.  The cigar that we selected was perfectly constructed, but perhaps overly spongy as the humidity of our local B & M’s humidor often seems higher than industry standards.  The wrapper was a light tan color and the aroma from the stick was classic Cohiba – barnyard and hay with a slight twinge of cedar.  After snipping the cap we sampled the pre-draw and observed the always pleasant taste of cedar and vanilla.

We light the foot and sampled the first few puffs.  First impression – great draw, wonderfully subtle flavours of black tea, more cedar and hints of honey and vanilla.  If I had to define the Siglo VI in three words or less I would have to say – elegant, smooth, and balanced.  I’ve read that Cohiba cigars are unique in that they ferment the ligero and seco leaves a third time in order to enhance the smoothness of the cigar.  This extra fermentation was readily apparent in our Siglo VI's as it was smooth and creamy from start to finish.  I’ve read numerous reviews that depict the Siglo VI as full-bodied; however, we found it to be fairly mild in flavour and body throughout the beginning of the smoke and medium near the end. 

There’s an old saying that I’ve head some of the other members of our cigar club use on several occasions and that is “you don’t put out a cigar until the ashes hit the back of your teeth”.  It is rare that we abide by this creed as, quite frankly, it just seems kind of gross.  However, in the case of the Siglo VI we came as close to adhering to this motto as we ever have.  Therefore, I am obliged to endorse this classic cigar with a very respectable rating of four Castro heads out of five.

Rocky Patel Patel Bros. Corona

Size: 44 × 140 (5.5")

Shape: Corona

Filler: Nicaragua

Binder: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf

Smoking Time: 1 hour

Beverage: Anarchist Amber Ale

The Patel Bros. line is a collaboration between Rocky and his brother Nish to create a full-bodied Nicaraguan cigar. I've read that the blend of this cigar is related to the 2008 Winter Blend  but it's not entirely clear on the interweb whether the relationship is that they share a wrapper from Pennsylvania or there are more substantial similarities. Either way, this corona came in a sampler we purchased a few months ago.

This corona was very firm and densely packed, with no soft spots at all. The wrapper was very dark (it may be a maduro) and somewhat toothy, and I tasted tobacco and coffee on the cold draw. The draw was perfect and let loose a good deal of smoke, imparting strong and full-bodied flavours of caramel, wheat, and a little spice in the first few puffs. The burn required one small touch-up about half way through, but otherwise the draw and burn was great. Some interesting notes of leather and sweetness crept in and out, and the spice waxed and waned throughout the second third. Near the end, the cigar picked up some faint bitterness, perhaps due to the building strength, but this wasn't entirely bad and made the cigar even more interesting. The draw remained perfect throughout with plenty of smoke produced all the way to the end, but near the final third the flavours became too intense to distinguish from one another, so I set it down to extinguish with dignity.

Overall, I liked the Patel Bros. corona, and its flavours and body kept me interested for most of the hour that it took to smoke it. However, it seemed to lack a certain level of balance and finesse that I tend to prefer, especially in the final third. All things considered, I give the Patel Bros. corona a respectable three Fidels out of five.

Trinidad Robusto Extra

Size: 50 × 155 (6.1")

Shape: Robusto Extra

Filler: Cuba

Binder: Cuba

Wrapper: Cuba

Smoking Time: 1 ½ hours

Beverage: Anarchist Amber Ale

Previous experience with several other Trinidad cigars (including the Fundadores, the 2007 limited edition Ingenious, and the Reyes), the reputation of the Trinidad line, as well as the fact that these cigars run around $50 bucks a stick here in Canada, had me “pumped” for this weeks Friday Cigar.  To my knowledge, few Cuban brands have as much mystique and mystery attached to their labels as Trinidad which was originally created in 1969 and released to the public in 1998.  Some claim that Trinidad was originally created as a diplomatic gift – much like Cohiba – and this claim is even mentioned on the Habanos website.  However, several other very reliable sources (including Fidel Castro himself in his biography “My Life”) have argued that Trinidad has never been used as a gift for diplomats.  Who knows…and who really cares.  Here at the Friday Cigar we believe that a cigar should speak for itself and I was interested to see what this golden stick of finely rolled tobacco had to say.

My initial impression of this cigar was good.  It was finely rolled, well constructed with few noticeable veins or tears in the wrapper, and produced a fine aroma of cedar, tobacco, and hay.  I was pleased with the pre-draw – not too tight – which is always my primary concern with Cuban cigars.  Everything seemed to going well with this stick as I touched two lit matches to the foot and began the process of creating an even burn.  My initial impression of this cigar was “wow” – this is a lot stronger than I was expecting.  Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy a nice full-bodied smoke – but I had always assumed that Trinidad was generally a mild to medium cigar and I would certainly classify this particular stick as full-bodied.  The first third of the cigar was a little disappointing – lots of strong tobacco flavor and very little changes or subtleties.

The rest of the cigar was equally uninspiring.  I was expecting a lot from this cigar and I really felt it didn’t produce.  I detected some faint notes of spice and coffee…but mostly lots of strong tobacco flavors that seemed to overpower any attempts at other flavors from emerging.  As well, it became harsh after the second third of the stick and began to show some signs of youth.  However, I’ve read plenty of reviews that sing the praises of this cigar so I might purchase another one on our upcoming trip to Cuba and let it sit in my humidor for a few years.  On this occasion I’m only able to give the Trinidad Robusto Extra two Castro heads out of five.