Los Statos de Luxe Delirios Feb 1999

[MontrealRon]

Machine-made, cellophane wrapped.

Vitola : Standard, 123mm x 40 rg.

Packaged in cardboard packs of ten, with five packs in a cardboard display box.

I wasn't really expecting much from this low-end little cheapie.

Not a marca that I've had a lot of experience with,

only a few 140 x 40 Cremas that I recall as pretty decent,

and a box of '96 Brevas that are pretty darn good.

Los Statos have been entirely discontinued and de-listed since 2005,

but there is still some old stock available here and there, for the moment.

Once unwrapped, the first shock was visual.

It had the typical pointy head of a machine-made, but once clipped,

there was no other clue to its lowly origin.

A silky smooth colorado wrapper of excellent quality, with no veins.

Very evenly rolled, with no bumps nor hard or soft spots,

and just enough spring to the touch.

The draw was spot on.

The cigar caught the flame quickly, and burned strong,

straight and evenly from beginning to end.

Smoke volume was excellent, and never too hot.

How I wish I could say the same about so many of my high-end smokes!

The taste was also excellent, and quite intriguing.

Very herbal and toasty, without spice, and without the earthy bass notes,

it remained throughout in the mid to high register.

An evocation of the countryside of southern France in late summer -

sun-baked fields, with scents of wild thyme, rosemary, and lavender.

All this carried on a light to medium body,

with no hint of harshness even towards the end.

Never have I experienced such delicacy and even finesse in a small machine-made cigar.

If you value only strength in your smokes, stay away,

but if you have a place in your rotation for something really different,

it is worth the effort to find any of the Los Statos de Luxe, while you still can.

PS - This cigar was sourced on the Canadian market.

[alan2]

I had a box of these and I just didn't get a whole lot of flavor from them so I ended up selling the box. Same year too..not my cup of tea I guess.