Por Larranaga Galanes - First impressions

[JY0]

I think it's a winner. I'm terrible at describing flavors but it definitely has the traditional PL DNA/flavors. I love the size. It's young and needs some time but I couldn't wait and fired one up. I'm going deep on these when I can find them as I believe this will age really well.

To me it is more refined that the Picadore was when it first came out....not as much of a mongrel, when young.

 

I'm excited about this cigar.

[rcarlson]

Glad to see this.  They've piqued my interest.  Was hoping the initial tries were positive.  

[dragn270]

Now I’m definitely bummed I missed out on these when they were up on 24:24. But I’m sure there’ll be another chance. 

[La_Tigre]

Also hopeful they are this year’s short de punch. 

[KCCubano]

Good to know!! 

[NSXCIGAR]

47 minutes ago, La_Tigre said:

Also hopeful they are this year’s short de punch. 

If they make it good, I think it will be just as successful as the SdP--maybe more so. There seems to be some consistency issues with the SdP. If the Galanes are consistently high quality I think they'll do well--particularly here. 

I do think there's a solid demand for a larger ring gauge PL. PL ERs tend to do fairly well. For some reason the Picadores never really took off. I know the Picadores I've had haven't impressed me. It's a lighter blend that to me is geared more towards long-term development. The fact that there's interest in the Galanes is an indication that the Picadores might have missed the mark.

[La_Tigre]

2 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

If they make it good, I think it will be just as successful as the SdP--maybe more so. There seems to be some consistency issues with the SdP. If the Galanes are consistently high quality I think they'll do well--particularly here. 

I do think there's a solid demand for a larger ring gauge PL. PL ERs tend to do fairly well. For some reason the Picadores never really took off. I know the Picadores I've had haven't impressed me. It's a lighter blend that to me is geared more towards long-term development. The fact that there's interest in the Galanes is an indication that the Picadores might have missed the mark.

Totally agree on the Picadores. Just something about them that didn’t translate. 

[JY0]

I like the Picadores but the Galanes seem much closer to the rest of the Marca in flavor.

[mprach024]

Thanks for this.  I’ve been curious to see some feedback.  Appreciate the first hand.

[Billybats]

Love it. Not great at describing flavors either but definitely was smooth and creamy. A plpc but more complex and better. Would smoke more of these

[Tstew75]

On 5/2/2021 at 1:20 PM, NSXCIGAR said:

If they make it good, I think it will be just as successful as the SdP--maybe more so. There seems to be some consistency issues with the SdP. If the Galanes are consistently high quality I think they'll do well--particularly here. 

I do think there's a solid demand for a larger ring gauge PL. PL ERs tend to do fairly well. For some reason the Picadores never really took off. I know the Picadores I've had haven't impressed me. It's a lighter blend that to me is geared more towards long-term development. The fact that there's interest in the Galanes is an indication that the Picadores might have missed the mark.

SdP quality is extremely volatile. I've opened over 30 boxes across many codes & I'd say 1 in 3 look great, the others look less than average.

Here's to hoping the Galanes don't suffer the same.

[NSXCIGAR]

3 hours ago, Tstew75 said:

SdP quality is extremely volatile

Unfortunately, that's the impression I've got over the last year. 

[El Presidente]

On 5/5/2021 at 12:48 AM, Tstew75 said:

SdP quality is extremely volatile. I've opened over 30 boxes across many codes & I'd say 1 in 3 look great, the others look less than average.

Here's to hoping the Galanes don't suffer the same.

Have found the same on the SdP. Upside is even the ugly ones + seconds (what my team give me ) still taste bloody good. 

Have just lit up a PL Galanes now. 

[El Presidente]

Galanes Opening:

Very clean/smooth opening. None of the mongrel of a young PLPC. That is not a negative for the PLPC, it is actually something I enjoy in young PLPC. 

There is a "cards held to the chest" nature to this Galanes so far. It appears to have a bready/champagne note but it is shy to disclose too much. 

[dobbs]

10 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

There is a "cards held to the chest" nature to this Galanes so far. It appears to have a bready/champagne note but it is shy to disclose too much. 

interesting note, you may have put into words something i've experienced but not been able to describe. i've felt this way about the qdo corona, in terms of "shyness" anyway.

i wonder if time will reveal more on both the galanes (haven't smoked yet, two boxes on the way) and my coronas claros.

-dobbs

[El Presidente]

Half Way "ish"

needs 90 days down.

Very bready/soft hints  of sweet spice but they are so far on the periphery that I wonder if I am imagining it. Medio Siglo meets Connie 1. Zero hard edges. Mid bodied. Very enjoyable. Far smoother than a similarly young Picadores. Blends are lightyears apart. 

[El Presidente]

Early days and limited sample size. 

Thoughts?

This is unlikely to be a Punch SdP which is a full flavour basketcase young be they good looking or ugly as sin. 

Galanes appears to have been blended for the mid term at least (4-5?). Kudos in that it has zero hard edges. Love the bready/toast/bubbles nature. Lost any sweetness in the second third. Reminds me of a very good but young Medio Siglo/Connie 1/Choix Supreme. It is holding back it's sweet spice package at this stage but it is certainly there lingering just out of reach. Aroma is sweet spice so it will come. Intriguing. 

In terms of PL it shares most similarity with a young Encantos. That cigar took a good 5 years to blossom.  Maybe that is best how to gauge it this stage. if you are looking for a smoke in the next 60 days cigar, hold off for more reviews. Solid potential here. To the band stage right now and still holding a very classy flavour profile. Prim amd propper, not a foot wrong. 

She may be the quintessential librarian. 

 

[NSXCIGAR]

Interesting. PL as we know has a reputation for major transitions at 3-5 years. Sounds like the true nature of these may be muted until then. I don't see you mention any sweetness or caramel which has been a hallmark of PL and something that becomes more apparent with time. If the flavors you describe maintain and the combine with sweetness and caramel it might be one heck of a flavor profile.

[El Presidente]

2 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Interesting. PL as we know has a reputation for major transitions at 3-5 years. Sounds like the true nature of these may be muted until then. I don't see you mention any sweetness or caramel which has been a hallmark of PL and something that becomes more apparent with time. If the flavors you describe maintain and the combine with sweetness and caramel it might be one heck of a flavor profile.

Caramel, none to be seen. To be fair, these arrived last week and I am more than happy to wait the 90 days at 65 RH to see whether that holy grail trait can be "hinted". 

I use the term "hinted" because caramel in PL has traditionally been associated with the 5 year + timeline.  Sometimes you just can't rush magic. 

Cohiba honey and PL Caramel both take a little time. What I look for in young cigars of either is balance and blending integrity. 

I was expecting the Galanes to have a PL Picadores/PLPC mongrel edge/elbow. It hasn't shown that to date. I will pay that in a young PL cigar as it is very different to what they have trotted out. 

[99call]

On 5/3/2021 at 6:20 AM, NSXCIGAR said:

For some reason the Picadores never really took off. I know the Picadores I've had haven't impressed me. It's a lighter blend that to me is geared more towards long-term development

I remember being really confused when these came out, all the cover shots, and what seemed to be a large percentage of the boxes I saw were a golden hue of wrapper, yet lots of the distributors were listing their tasting notes like they were classic a classic PL blend. 

To be honest I think this laziness, really sold a great deal of customers short. I think the Picadores is a very pleasant cigar, but buyers were expecting that classic PLPC PLMC flavour. I think the result was a thumbs down for the Picadores, and it was pretty undeserved.   

I remember watching some sort of culinary test once where, participants where being given yellow coloured, but strawberry flavoured yogurts, and red coloured, but bananas flavoured yogurts.      Predictably, those who took part in the test, fed back negatively on what they had been given to sample. 

I think the Picadores blend floats somewhere between ERDM, Cohiba and Vegueros,  it's enjoyable,   it just is not a chubby PLPC, which is how it was wrongly sold to lots of customers.   

 

 

[...]

I aged the early production Picadores I bought five years to check whether they would come into their own and I must say, decent cigars but too mild for me.

Cheers!

[Hammer Smokin']

love the picadores, but I also like a lighter cigar. @Jeanff I'm in Ontario (no crossing borders). If you want to part with that box, just let me know

[...]

1 hour ago, Hammer Smokin' said:

love the picadores, but I also like a lighter cigar. @Jeanff I'm in Ontario (no crossing borders). If you want to part with that box, just let me know

Thanks for the offer but I eventually smoked/gifted trough the lot. I'll know who to contact next time

 

[NSXCIGAR]

9 hours ago, 99call said:

I think the Picadores blend floats somewhere between ERDM, Cohiba and Vegueros,  it's enjoyable,   it just is not a chubby PLPC, which is how it was wrongly sold to lots of customers.   

Agree with that. Picadores are an odd bird and are nothing like the PC or MC or any of the PL ERs. I contend there's no way anyone could peg it as a PL if they didn't know. It might be the regular production cigar most unlike its marca's DNA. 

I hope the Galanes gets there but if it doesn't I think there's still a huge space for a 50+ RG PL that has the core of the PC and MC. If they can make the MC as flavorful as it is with a 33 RG imagine what they can do with three times the leaf. 

[JohnS]

Quick mini-review...

I smoked one on ZOOM yesterday. I feel El Pres summed it up well. It took me 80 minutes to smoke. I knew it was a bit wet ROTT because it took awhile to light up. Flavours were fantastic. Not PL Caramel...more like butter bread of recent Quai d'Orsay with milk coffee and some oak wood. I'll let my box settle for around 2 or 3 months now until the next one. I predict that the Galanes will be a hit with our members.