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ERdM Panatelas Largas
Size: 175mm x 28 ? Panatelas Largas
Smoke time: 55mins
Box date: 1970s vintage. Bought at auction http://www.ukcigarforums.com/showthr...os-auction-win. and kindly gifted by Simon Bolivar.
To describe this cigar as old is putting it mildly. Even an 1979 would make it 32 years old. Simon wanted me to review it on a nice sunny day and to try and guess what period of maturation it?s in. The first bit was easy. It?s sunny outside. The second bit is beyond my ability. The easy maths say the cigar is in it?s second maturation, but if it?s an early 1970s production it might be entering or in it?s third. The only way to know for sure is to have had the box from ?green? and to have smoked one every one and a half years or so up untill the present day. Even then I think it would require a ?taste-notes? diary and a cigar taste bud memory bordering on the Encyclopaedic. I don?t have either of those, and this is the Panatelas Largos I?ve ever smoked. But what I do have is an eternal gratitude to Simon for giving me this once only chance to smoke one.
Appearance: Deceptive, the cigar itself looked absolutely sound and I?m guessing not an awful lot different to how it did when it was rolled. The wrapper was a neatly rolled, deep reddish brown with a tinge of almost camouflage like green mottleing. The ?age? give-away was in the 60s introduced (but still current) Standard A? band, which, from it?s tired appearance, had not withstood the test of time as well as the cigar. Oils secreting from the cigar had resulted in the band taking on an almost fused aspect and a loss in ink lustre.
Construction: No real burn or draw problems at all. The initial burn started square and stayed square. The pre-draw was slightly resistive and still un-lit the wrapper released a taste to the lips very much reminiscent of old fashioned aniseed drops, and which to be shamefully honest I went back to several times before lighting-up. The smokeing draw too was resistive, the smoke volume although not high was sufficient and in keeping with the tempo of smaller gauge vitola. The mid-grey ash stayed reasonably compact during smoke and needed only a few tap-offs (see photos). However my attempting to see how long the ash could get did result in a fall off onto Chris?s rug. On the downside, twice after tapping off the Largos went out. Seemingly the combustion was more efficient with the ash acting as a dampener. Two re-lights, no corrections.
Flavour: Pre-light aroma from the foot was very difficult to determine, however from the head I picked up some wood over musky tobacco. The initial draw and for several after was something cereal like and slightly roasted with hints of honey and caramel. As the smoke progressed these flavours were first joined by and then superseded by delicious notes of vegetal sweetness which somehow would rise and fall and leave a coating of lemon citrus, (which oddly wasn?t detectable in the smoke) in the mouth. At this point I?m going to add that the smoke quality was smooth and mellow and simply stayed that way untill the end. Halfway into the first third and the dry light woods began to appear initially as a back note to the vegetal flavours but slowly gaining in equality, although the vegetal flavours did have one last card to play, just prior and a little into the second third Grapefruit suddenly punched-in and the taste was amazing. The flavour strength for the fist third I would categorist as light. In the second third the flavour strength increased to medium with all the individual flavours blending to become a dryer ? but deliciously smooth ?mousselike oneness. Reto-hale in the second third was also delivering some spiciness and light pepper. The final third when it came was a lot stonger and in many respects put me in mind of the Partagas Chicos in that it was dry, straight tobacco over some wood with hints of earth and leather and a sizable increase in peppers. I enjoyed every passage of the smoke. Remarkable!
Overall: A lovely cigar and a delight to smoke even if I now feel like a ?bad person? having done it. Just a huge crying shame that Habanos have seen fit to delete so many fabulous thinner vitola. Thanks Simon, the Largos is a great cigar and I wish you clear, sunny days to smoke and enjoy each and everyone in you box. Excellent purchase matey!
Size: 175mm x 28 ? Panatelas Largas
Smoke time: 55mins
Box date: 1970s vintage. Bought at auction http://www.ukcigarforums.com/showthr...os-auction-win. and kindly gifted by Simon Bolivar.
To describe this cigar as old is putting it mildly. Even an 1979 would make it 32 years old. Simon wanted me to review it on a nice sunny day and to try and guess what period of maturation it?s in. The first bit was easy. It?s sunny outside. The second bit is beyond my ability. The easy maths say the cigar is in it?s second maturation, but if it?s an early 1970s production it might be entering or in it?s third. The only way to know for sure is to have had the box from ?green? and to have smoked one every one and a half years or so up untill the present day. Even then I think it would require a ?taste-notes? diary and a cigar taste bud memory bordering on the Encyclopaedic. I don?t have either of those, and this is the Panatelas Largos I?ve ever smoked. But what I do have is an eternal gratitude to Simon for giving me this once only chance to smoke one.
Appearance: Deceptive, the cigar itself looked absolutely sound and I?m guessing not an awful lot different to how it did when it was rolled. The wrapper was a neatly rolled, deep reddish brown with a tinge of almost camouflage like green mottleing. The ?age? give-away was in the 60s introduced (but still current) Standard A? band, which, from it?s tired appearance, had not withstood the test of time as well as the cigar. Oils secreting from the cigar had resulted in the band taking on an almost fused aspect and a loss in ink lustre.
Construction: No real burn or draw problems at all. The initial burn started square and stayed square. The pre-draw was slightly resistive and still un-lit the wrapper released a taste to the lips very much reminiscent of old fashioned aniseed drops, and which to be shamefully honest I went back to several times before lighting-up. The smokeing draw too was resistive, the smoke volume although not high was sufficient and in keeping with the tempo of smaller gauge vitola. The mid-grey ash stayed reasonably compact during smoke and needed only a few tap-offs (see photos). However my attempting to see how long the ash could get did result in a fall off onto Chris?s rug. On the downside, twice after tapping off the Largos went out. Seemingly the combustion was more efficient with the ash acting as a dampener. Two re-lights, no corrections.
Flavour: Pre-light aroma from the foot was very difficult to determine, however from the head I picked up some wood over musky tobacco. The initial draw and for several after was something cereal like and slightly roasted with hints of honey and caramel. As the smoke progressed these flavours were first joined by and then superseded by delicious notes of vegetal sweetness which somehow would rise and fall and leave a coating of lemon citrus, (which oddly wasn?t detectable in the smoke) in the mouth. At this point I?m going to add that the smoke quality was smooth and mellow and simply stayed that way untill the end. Halfway into the first third and the dry light woods began to appear initially as a back note to the vegetal flavours but slowly gaining in equality, although the vegetal flavours did have one last card to play, just prior and a little into the second third Grapefruit suddenly punched-in and the taste was amazing. The flavour strength for the fist third I would categorist as light. In the second third the flavour strength increased to medium with all the individual flavours blending to become a dryer ? but deliciously smooth ?mousselike oneness. Reto-hale in the second third was also delivering some spiciness and light pepper. The final third when it came was a lot stonger and in many respects put me in mind of the Partagas Chicos in that it was dry, straight tobacco over some wood with hints of earth and leather and a sizable increase in peppers. I enjoyed every passage of the smoke. Remarkable!
Overall: A lovely cigar and a delight to smoke even if I now feel like a ?bad person? having done it. Just a huge crying shame that Habanos have seen fit to delete so many fabulous thinner vitola. Thanks Simon, the Largos is a great cigar and I wish you clear, sunny days to smoke and enjoy each and everyone in you box. Excellent purchase matey!
TJ, TJCoro
don TJ and the 
Coros
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