Por Larranaga Picadores - MOE NOV 14 (JBWP2RW)

[coug28]

Long time listener…1st time ‘caller’. Been on this forum a long while, and never was inspired to do a review (or felt I could lend insight to others perhaps). I’ve just always enjoyed reading other people’s interpretations of the flavors of a cigar and seeing if I can draw any similarities from my own experiences. In this instance, I happened to have a cigar I’d been meaning to revisit that fit the latest review criteria, and of an oft-under appreciated cigar at that. This box was one of my final box purchases for over 5+ years, while I simply opted to smoke through my stock and refrain from chasing the latest/greatest thing. These Picadores were purchased from our fine hosts here at FOH, and of the PSP variety, back in the LFTH days. 

So away we go… 

Draw on this example was slightly firm, but plenty of smoke was generating and with minimal effort. Just how I like it. There is Voluminous smoke output.  One thing that hasn’t been an issue from any of my prior cigars from this box. 

The 1st 3rd was smooth tobacco and hay, some earthiness is there, and certainly the caramel backbone we’ve all experienced with PL. There is also light honey like sweetness on the finish. The body is on the lighter side of medium to start and there is a pleasant mild red pepper through the nose on the retro. A fine start indeed. 

2nd 3rd - I paired this with a ‘Moscow mule’ as the wife offered and what kind of husband/man would I be to turn that down?? The ginger beer spice/sweetness really lent itself to the flavors here. The 2nd third was similar to the first, only there was a the raisin’esque sweetness that came in and out. Let it be known, I hate raisins. But here, in this moment….it was welcomed. The body certainly amped up to Medium, Medium+, but the flavors of caramel, honey, slight cedar/woodiness, and earth remained, all the while being smooth and clean on the palate. No bitterness or tannins whatsoever. By the end of the 2nd 3rd, the Caramel notes transitioned into a marshmallow cream, with an almost a cola like sweetness. Could be the ginger beer pairing at play. Definitely didn’t hate it! Dare I say, I’m tasting Dr. Pepper here?? By damn, there is certainly a resemblance. Neat! 

Final 3rd - not much evolution between the 2nd and final third here…which is perfectly fine, as this is where the dark toasted tobacco tannins previously would have take center stage when these were younger. But not this time. The body remains  just over medium and stays the same to the nub. The lingering sweetness of the toasted honey, & burnt caramel/marshmallow lasted all the way to the end.  The Dr. Pepper taste had faded a bit earlier, but it definitely came back into the fray in the last half of the final third, and it was a very nice way to finish this cigar. Throughout the entire smoke, there was no bitterness, no harshness, which perhaps would be expected of 7 year old tobacco. This was one solid cigar on a nice mildly crisp evening. Admittedly, I’m happy that I’ve refrained from smoking these, as I still have over half the box remaining and I’m excited to see where they can go. Even if they don’t improve further, I’ll be quite pleased if this evenings rendition remains the ‘status quo’ for these. 

92/100. 

Don’t overlook those Picadores folks. They just may surprise you with a little bit of ‘game on em’

Cheers & Happy smoking! 

[Yigal]

Thank you for taking us through your journey

[RDB]

Very nice review, thank you. Keep ‘em coming!

I’m a fan of the Picadores. They have a unique profile, to me it’s like a sweeter and less spicy version of Partagas. Always medium body or under. Somewhat confusing though as there seems to be very little in common between these and the PLPC and PLM.

[rcarlson]

Well done.  You've piqued my interest.  

And you managed to keep your review coherent with the Moscow Mules flowing.  You can get into trouble with those mighty fast.  They go down easy.  My father-in-law introduced me to them on a hot night in Atlanta years ago.  We both woke up on the back deck the next morning.  According to our wives we weren't nearly as much fun as we thought.  Pffft.  Humorless scolds.  The Moscow Mules know better.      

[OrangePaw]

Fantastic review, well done!  Looking forward to reading more.  👍🔥😍