Tweet
Por Larranaga Lonsdales RE 2006 Germany
Size: 165 x 42 — Cervantes
Smoke time: 1hour 35mins
Box date: 2006 Source: SpaceMonkey.
Firstly my apologies to SpaceMonkey for taking so long in getting around to this review. Paul gave me this cigar around the middle of last year, but frozen out by our dreadful Winter this is the first opportunity this year to tackle a larger smoke.
Appearance: Quite rough and rustic with the spiral not well concealed due to a vein running almost parallel to the wrap and giving the appearance of pushing it upwards and away from the cigar body. There were several other prominent veins in the bottom half of the cigar but the top section was reasonably clear and the triple cap well applied. The wrapper itself was mid brown (shading slightly more towards red than yellow), and felt oily to the touch. As might be expected, the bands were the standard RE band for Alemania and Por Larranaga standard band ‘B’.
Construction: Feeling along the length, the cigar was yielding and especially soft at the head but there was one definite hard spot about an inch long and running beneath and just below the bands. The pre-draw was resistive and the smoking draw surprisingly smooth and untroubled throughout the smoke. The burn was reasonably straight needing just one minor adjustment close to the end of the first third. The ash remained solid throughout. No re-lights.
Flavour: The pre-light aroma was clean smelling tobacco and wet hay. The cigar started promisingly on syrupy dry citrus over a delicious woody back note. As the smoke progressed I was also picking out little hints of dry ginger and every now and again something akin to sweet lamb. The flavour strength I would catagorise as a Light/Medium and the tastes for the first inch or so were nicely balanced. So far so good, and the smoke itself carried a smooth, sodalike quality which was leaving a dry but very pleasant sweet woodyness in my mouth. Approaching the second third and the sweeter began to die away and the woods became dryer till reaching a point where the combination was something like trying to drink weak lemon tea though wet sawdust. The second third was exactly the same, except I was beginning to get a dull raw tobacco taste as an accompaniment. And so it went on, I wouldn’t ordinarily have bothered with the last third, but in this instance took the cigar for a stroll around the garden, where to be honest, the horticultural state of my borders was of more interest than anything Habanos. The cigar nicotine strength picked-up a bit towards the death, but not to any uncomfortable level.
Overall: Lacking in vibrance. It was dull and predictable, possibly OK as a ‘with yer mates’ smoke, but as a on your own review exercise it was dire. Reviewing is boring enough as it is, this cigar only made it worse. Possibly at 6years the smoke has gone a bit Ikea for a time and may come good again — but as it’s the only one of these I’ve ever smoked — I really don’t know. If it hadn’t been a gifted cigar I would have ditched well before I did. There is a whack of nicotine strength in the final third, but flavourswise the production PC and MonteCarlos are IMHO far better.
Marks. Sorry Paul, but on this smoking, I’m giving the PL a lowly 6.5.
But on the plus side BigJ will be back in his Partagas support mode because the 898 romps home again .... by miles!
Next up. Ramon Allones 898.
Size: 165 x 42 — Cervantes
Smoke time: 1hour 35mins
Box date: 2006 Source: SpaceMonkey.
Firstly my apologies to SpaceMonkey for taking so long in getting around to this review. Paul gave me this cigar around the middle of last year, but frozen out by our dreadful Winter this is the first opportunity this year to tackle a larger smoke.
Appearance: Quite rough and rustic with the spiral not well concealed due to a vein running almost parallel to the wrap and giving the appearance of pushing it upwards and away from the cigar body. There were several other prominent veins in the bottom half of the cigar but the top section was reasonably clear and the triple cap well applied. The wrapper itself was mid brown (shading slightly more towards red than yellow), and felt oily to the touch. As might be expected, the bands were the standard RE band for Alemania and Por Larranaga standard band ‘B’.
Construction: Feeling along the length, the cigar was yielding and especially soft at the head but there was one definite hard spot about an inch long and running beneath and just below the bands. The pre-draw was resistive and the smoking draw surprisingly smooth and untroubled throughout the smoke. The burn was reasonably straight needing just one minor adjustment close to the end of the first third. The ash remained solid throughout. No re-lights.
Flavour: The pre-light aroma was clean smelling tobacco and wet hay. The cigar started promisingly on syrupy dry citrus over a delicious woody back note. As the smoke progressed I was also picking out little hints of dry ginger and every now and again something akin to sweet lamb. The flavour strength I would catagorise as a Light/Medium and the tastes for the first inch or so were nicely balanced. So far so good, and the smoke itself carried a smooth, sodalike quality which was leaving a dry but very pleasant sweet woodyness in my mouth. Approaching the second third and the sweeter began to die away and the woods became dryer till reaching a point where the combination was something like trying to drink weak lemon tea though wet sawdust. The second third was exactly the same, except I was beginning to get a dull raw tobacco taste as an accompaniment. And so it went on, I wouldn’t ordinarily have bothered with the last third, but in this instance took the cigar for a stroll around the garden, where to be honest, the horticultural state of my borders was of more interest than anything Habanos. The cigar nicotine strength picked-up a bit towards the death, but not to any uncomfortable level.
Overall: Lacking in vibrance. It was dull and predictable, possibly OK as a ‘with yer mates’ smoke, but as a on your own review exercise it was dire. Reviewing is boring enough as it is, this cigar only made it worse. Possibly at 6years the smoke has gone a bit Ikea for a time and may come good again — but as it’s the only one of these I’ve ever smoked — I really don’t know. If it hadn’t been a gifted cigar I would have ditched well before I did. There is a whack of nicotine strength in the final third, but flavourswise the production PC and MonteCarlos are IMHO far better.
Marks. Sorry Paul, but on this smoking, I’m giving the PL a lowly 6.5.
But on the plus side BigJ will be back in his Partagas support mode because the 898 romps home again .... by miles! Next up. Ramon Allones 898.
Comment