I was very excited to try this smoke out as I have heard alot of good things about Larra?aga. I was also very interested in liking this cigar as my budget is rather (very!) tight at the moment and the price on this cigar is very reasonable. In France I paid 3 Euros and change for the Montecarlo. I would have preferred to try the Petit Corona, but this is the only format my tobacconist had in the PL range. Had the camera handy for this one...
length: 159mm
gauge: 33
age: Based on the band this cigar was definitely produced in 2005 or earlier but after 2002 as it is hand-rolled. Anyways this thing had some age on it.
Looks: I really love the PL band, and although the cigar was a tad bumpy, overall I loved the looks.. alright mostly because of the band
4/5
Construction: Wow did the ash hold on this baby ! I am used to the ash falling off pretty fast on thinner gauge cigars, not the case here. The draw was a bit tight but it was quite smokeable and i think the draw kinda goes with the territory on such a thin gauge cigar. I think I met my personal limit in terms of gauge and probably will not go below a 38 lancero/laguito gauge from now on.
Burn was very even. It went out twice, again I believe due to gauge. The smoke lasted much longer then I expected, took me 70 mons to smoke (as opposed to a Robusto which takes me 60-65 mins).
4/5
Flavour: Bit of spice and Cuban twang at the start, some mild sweetness came in about a half inch in. Other reviewers have named it caramel... i'll go for that. halfway through i also got roasted coffee beans and a bit of nutiness.
This was not a super complex smoke, but I really enjoyed what i got and the light/medium body fit my profile perfectly.
4/5
Overall:
This was a very enjoyable and relaxed/meditative smoke for me with a simple yet great flavour profile. My only regret is the format... I just need to get my hands on a PC !
4/5
links for Simon:
length: 159mm
gauge: 33
age: Based on the band this cigar was definitely produced in 2005 or earlier but after 2002 as it is hand-rolled. Anyways this thing had some age on it.
Looks: I really love the PL band, and although the cigar was a tad bumpy, overall I loved the looks.. alright mostly because of the band
4/5
Construction: Wow did the ash hold on this baby ! I am used to the ash falling off pretty fast on thinner gauge cigars, not the case here. The draw was a bit tight but it was quite smokeable and i think the draw kinda goes with the territory on such a thin gauge cigar. I think I met my personal limit in terms of gauge and probably will not go below a 38 lancero/laguito gauge from now on.
Burn was very even. It went out twice, again I believe due to gauge. The smoke lasted much longer then I expected, took me 70 mons to smoke (as opposed to a Robusto which takes me 60-65 mins).
4/5
Flavour: Bit of spice and Cuban twang at the start, some mild sweetness came in about a half inch in. Other reviewers have named it caramel... i'll go for that. halfway through i also got roasted coffee beans and a bit of nutiness.
This was not a super complex smoke, but I really enjoyed what i got and the light/medium body fit my profile perfectly.
4/5
Overall:
This was a very enjoyable and relaxed/meditative smoke for me with a simple yet great flavour profile. My only regret is the format... I just need to get my hands on a PC !
4/5
links for Simon:
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