This is the final review of the Los Blancos Premium cigars. You can see all of the Los Blancos reviews by clicking here.  I want to say thanks to David Blanco of Los Blancos for sending these samples to me and for being so patient waiting for the reviews.  That being said, this cigar was held to the end because, well, I’m just not a huge fan of Connecticut wrapper cigars.  David told me he hopes that in this case, “[I've] saved the best for last.”  Let’s see…

Appearance: The band is the same as on all the other premium blends, only this time it’s blue, my favorite color.  Go figure.  The light wrapper has very few and very sleight veins.  The wrap is very well done and is almost seamless.  The cap was excellently done as well.  This is a fantastic looking cigar.

Taste: This started out with a very strong sweetness that I’m not accustomed to with Connecticuts.  If I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought it was sugar-tipped.  Of course, it’s not, so the intense sweetness wasn’t unnatural nor unpleasant.  It was very welcome.  Eventually, some woodiness came through and took over, but it wasn’t the harsh wood that I usually associate with Connecticuts.  Some leather peeked its way in there towards the middle too.  The leather and wood held for the remainder of the smoke.

Aroma: Holding this to my snoz, I got a strong scent of wood and honey.  Very nice.  The smoke’s aroma is nothing to concern yourself over.  It won’t get you smoking in the house, but it won’t get you kicked out of the garage either.

Construction: The burn for the first inch was razor sharp.  It fell off after that but never got to the point where I’d be concerned about construction.  The ash was firm and would hold for an inch or more without dropping.  The draw was fantastic.  Very easy but not loose.

Overall Impression: Okay, okay…  I liked this smoke.  D’ya hear that, David?  It’s a mild to medium body, and that sits well with me for a Connie.  I could see this being an occasional morning smoke for me.  The construction is great and it’s a great looking cigar.  The blue band sits on the light wrapper well.  The flavors weren’t overpowering like I find other Connies, in fact, they were just right.  I can count the number of Connecticut wrappers that I really like on one hand, and while this one fits on that hand, I can now count it.

Cigar Rating:

No related posts.

Here’s part 3 of the 4-part Los Blancos Premiere Selection series.  I’ve already reviewed the criollo and the maduro.  Not being much of a Connecticut fan, I’m saving that for last.  Anyway, David Blanco of Los Blancos Cigars was nice enough to reach out to me to get his cigars reviewed and so far I’ve liked them.  Enough of the chit-chat, let’s get to it.

Appearance: Again, all of these are double-banded and they look sharp.  This has the red band.  What I’m loving about this cigar, though, is its wrapper.  A deep golden brown, there’s a shine to this wrapper that I love to see.  It’s very well wrapped and has small veins.  The cigar is perfectly round in its parejo shape.  A double cap tops this.

Taste: Initially I was hit with a sweet yet tangy cedar overlying the slightest touch of pepper.  Yum.  The tang went away leaving the woodiness and the pepper lightened up.  This settled into a mildly medium stick fairly quickly.  After it hit the half-way point, the sweetness went away, the leather kicked in throwing the cedar to the background and it kicked the strength up to a definitely medium body cigar.  There was a slight creaminess, too, but not one that made you chew the aftertaste.

Aroma: Pre-light, there’s not much of an aroma.  Just some sweet tobacco-ness with a very light hint of cocoa.  The smoke itself was kinda nutty, you know as in smelling like cashews a bit.  That was a first for me.  It’s light too, so not too offensive when in the presence of others.

Construction: Again, this thing is round and solid.  From the outside, this is just a great roll.  The cap was well done.  The foot showed an even bunch.  Unfortunately, though, on both sticks they canoed early.  They never got so bad they needed a touch-up, but you could see where the roll was a little weak after the first ash dropped.  The burn eventually fixed itself about a third of the way through and stayed nice and even from then on.  This had a solid, tight white ash that had to be taken off, it wouldn’t fall by itself.

Overall Impression: So far, this is the best of the line.  Like I said, I haven’t had the Connecticut yet, but it’s gonna have to go a long way to beat this one.  The only reason it didn’t get a perfect score is because of the first little hiccup with the canoe.  Great flavors, perfect strength, interesting in its changes, just a great cigar.  It’s got a medium finish that doesn’t stick with you too long, but it’s not short, so you can savor the great flavors for just a little longer.

Cigar Rating:

No related posts.

To change it up a bit but still stay within the Los Blancos family, today I pulled out a Primos Habana Criollo Rosado Torpedo sent to me by David Blanco.  This is a bundle cigar that is made using mainly Nicaraguan tobacco.  It is reputed to be a medium to medium full body cigar that will please even the experienced cigar smoker.  Let’s see…

Appearance: The first thing you notice is the band, well, kinda…  It almost blends in with the color of the wrapper and is a different take on the way other cigars (even other Los Blancos) are: where the band is very prominent.  The wrapper is quite veiny with a little tooth.  Looking at the foot, the bunch seems to be well made.  The wrapper is not oily, but it’s not dull either.  Maybe with a few more months in the humidor, the oils might have started working their way out a bit more.

Taste: This thing started the first few puffs and I thought it was going to be a dud.  But then the spice kicked in.  Wowza.  It didn’t last long, and it gave way to a rich leathery flavor that coated the palate, but for a few puffs I thought I was in for a ride.  The spice did come back in small doses, and a sweet woody flavor weaved its way in and out as well.  I can’t say that the taste changed much, but I can say that it was quite pleasant all the way through.

Aroma: Either my sense of smell is off (wouldn’t be the first time) or this has the most mild scent I’ve ever smelled on a cigar.  I had to inhaled deeply just to get any hint of a scent from this cigar.  The smoke had that sweet woody scent that you could taste.

Construction: This cigar had a medium draw and feeling along the body, had a few inconsistencies, but being a bundle, that’s easy to forgive, right?  The burn proved the inconsistencies, but it never got out of control nor did I ever need a relight.  That’s good in my book; not great, but definitely good.

Overall: Overall, this cigar exceeded my expectations.  I know, I know…  I’m not supposed to have any preconceived notions, but having had quite a few dud bundles in my day, it’s hard to get that out of my head.  This cigar may just turn me around on them.  I’d put this cigar right in the middle of medium body (maybe leaning toward the milder side), but it’s rich in flavor, produces plenty of smoke, burns well, and costs less than $3 a stick.  Primos may be a bundle cigar, but right now it’s prime-time as far as I’m concerned.

Cigar Rating:

No related posts.

Alright, smokers and jokers, here’s another installment of the Los Blancos cigar reviews.  It’s been quite hectic for me (what’s new, I know), but it was time to relax with a much deserved cigar.  I’m a big maduro fan, so when reaching into my coolidor, I just had to go for this one today.  Besides, I owed you guys and gals a review.

Appearance: I like the look of Los Blancos.  It’s not too fancy, but not too plain.  The double band is nice, and their color scheme shows you what you’re smoking.  Maduros have yellow bands.  The wrapper is a nice medium brown with slight veins and is well wrapped.  The cap is well done and the bunches look to be consistent.  This is a very good looking cigar.

Taste: I was immediately hit with a strong wood and spice that covered my palate completely.  After a few minutes the spice disappeared completely to be replaced by a leathery taste that dominated completely.  Talk about creamy.  After the first inch you could almost chew on the flavor.  I like that.  You have to smoke slowly though, because this will turn bitter on you if you can’t pace yourself.

Aroma: Holding this to my nose, I got spicy chocolate.  Very aromatic.  The plentiful smoke was strong tobacco.  This kind of cigar is why wives don’t want you smoking in the house.  But, I’m an outside smoker anyway…so I don’t care.

Construction: Feeling along this cigar, it had some inconsistencies along its length, but nothing too bad.  The burn was pretty even the whole way through.  I touched it up once, but that was probably more my OCD than the cigar itself.  I have to say that this is a well made cigar.

Overall: Very good maduro cigar.  Again, like the criollo, this is a man’s cigar.  No frills, no fuss.  It’s a straight forward, well made, taste good cigar.

Cigar Rating:

No related posts.

Hey y’all…it’s been awhile, but we’re never too far away. Awhile back, David Blanco of Los Blancos cigars contacted me to do some reviews, and, of course, I said I’d be happy to. So, here’s the beginning of a series of reviews from pretty much the whole line of cigars. I’m a criollo fan, so I decided to start with this one. Here we go…

Appearance: This is a good looking cigar.  With a double band, one at the head and one at the foot, the presentation is good, but not over the top.  The criollo band is green, with each other cigar having their own color bands too.  The wrapper was smooth with no tooth, well wrapped, and had a nice double cap.  This doesn’t look like a high-end cigar, but it’s no low class representative either.

Taste: Okay, this is a man’s cigar.  You want complex…look elsewhere.  You want to spend your time distinguishing if a cigar has a hint of seven-year Madagascar vanilla…look elsewhere.  You want straight good tobacco flavors of leather and wood, then this is your cigar.

Aroma: Again, this is a cigar.  It smells like a cigar.  Holding this to my nose, I got good tobacco smell.

Construction: Los Blancos scored here with me, because these burned extremely well.  I never once needed to relight or fix a burn.  The medium draw was pleasant, not too tight, not too loose.  The samples I had of these were just extremely well made.

Overall: This is a good cigar.  It’s not super-duper greatness, but it’s definitely a contender for a good everyday, reliable cigar.  It’s medium body will satisfy any smoker, and it has a long finish that will stay with you after you’re done.  The only thing I have to say that isn’t positive about this cigar is that I wish it had more of a criollo presence in the flavors.  If you’ve never given Los Blancos a try, this would be a good place to start.

Cigar Rating:

- Ricky

No related posts.