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Los Stratos de Luxe Cremas
Size: 140 x 40 ? Coronas
Smoke time: 1hour 5mins
Box date: EGD CCUN (1999)
Appearance: Cello sleeved. Squarish pressed-in-the-box, pressed, not exactly ugly, but no beauty either. The mid to dark brown, rough textured wrapper was blotched black and green and carried several raised veins and looked ?badly handrolled? rather than the machine made it actually was, the cap was idiosyncratic in that it was pointed. Standard band ?A?.
Construction: The cigar was packed reasonably well, though it was a little difficult to tell because the diameter of the roll was uneven (almost in the manner of Toscano). The pre-draw was fine as was the smoking draw, but that of course is plus of machine mades, they?re rarely plugged. The burn was straightish and the ash was looser and more ragged than a handrolled would have been. No re-lights, no corrections.
Flavour: The pre-draw aroma was hay and tobacco. The initial flavour was light but typically Cuban, woody/vegetal with a touch of sweetness. Into the third and the flavours value climbed to a good medium and I could pick out some citric lemon, apple and a lot of unidentifiable slightly sour confectionerylike notes and a definite and inescapable toasted tobacco taste. In the second third the tobacco taste became more prevalent and was joined by a bitter, but very pleasant American coffee hint. The final third was much like the second with the tobacco taste becoming stronger and rawer, however a little of the fruit tastes did return the most notable being dry, subtle peach. Not a bad smoke at all, quite a bit going on, although tobacco is the main player in the flavours mix.
Overall: To be honest, I?ve no intention to compare the LSdL Cremas with the handmade Cubans I normally review, but for ?50 a box it?s a good value smoke and certainly no where near the worst cigar I?ve ever tasted. The smoke time for a coronas is a little quick, but perhaps that?s attributable to it?s being machine made. The power of the cigar was quite surprising too given it?s age, I had expected something lighter, but it still retained a fair nicotine kick.
Size: 140 x 40 ? Coronas
Smoke time: 1hour 5mins
Box date: EGD CCUN (1999)
Appearance: Cello sleeved. Squarish pressed-in-the-box, pressed, not exactly ugly, but no beauty either. The mid to dark brown, rough textured wrapper was blotched black and green and carried several raised veins and looked ?badly handrolled? rather than the machine made it actually was, the cap was idiosyncratic in that it was pointed. Standard band ?A?.
Construction: The cigar was packed reasonably well, though it was a little difficult to tell because the diameter of the roll was uneven (almost in the manner of Toscano). The pre-draw was fine as was the smoking draw, but that of course is plus of machine mades, they?re rarely plugged. The burn was straightish and the ash was looser and more ragged than a handrolled would have been. No re-lights, no corrections.
Flavour: The pre-draw aroma was hay and tobacco. The initial flavour was light but typically Cuban, woody/vegetal with a touch of sweetness. Into the third and the flavours value climbed to a good medium and I could pick out some citric lemon, apple and a lot of unidentifiable slightly sour confectionerylike notes and a definite and inescapable toasted tobacco taste. In the second third the tobacco taste became more prevalent and was joined by a bitter, but very pleasant American coffee hint. The final third was much like the second with the tobacco taste becoming stronger and rawer, however a little of the fruit tastes did return the most notable being dry, subtle peach. Not a bad smoke at all, quite a bit going on, although tobacco is the main player in the flavours mix.
Overall: To be honest, I?ve no intention to compare the LSdL Cremas with the handmade Cubans I normally review, but for ?50 a box it?s a good value smoke and certainly no where near the worst cigar I?ve ever tasted. The smoke time for a coronas is a little quick, but perhaps that?s attributable to it?s being machine made. The power of the cigar was quite surprising too given it?s age, I had expected something lighter, but it still retained a fair nicotine kick.
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