Sancho Panza ΟΜΗΡΟΣ ESU MAR 22

[oneizzzz]

I'm traveling through Europe with my girlfriend right now, and we finally made it to Athens.  This is our last stop, and I was so happy to arrive!  I've loved Greece since I was 18 when my best friend took us to his ancestral hometown on Crete.  The town is called Avdou and four of us who'd just graduated high school had the trip of our lives that summer, drinking raki, eating fresh oranges, and smoking Davidoff Gold cigarettes.

 

I ended up studying Greek in College and have jumped at all opportunities to come back to this wonderful country in the 10 years since that first magical trip.

 

I've had some great luck finding cigars in Athens too.  Last fall, I managed to find a box each of Topes, La Trova (both at the time more rare than they've become since the price increase), Siglo VI, BBF, Montecristo Especial, and Punch Short de Punch here.  The folks at 'The Cigar' are particularly welcoming and helpful in my experience.

 

Well, it's our first night in town and my girlfriend in her infinite patience agreed to accompany me on an evening trip to visit a couple cigar shops.  The shelves are dishearteningly bare compared to their condition this time last year.  I remember seeing dozens of boxes of Siglo III, D4, Leyenda, etc... last September.  Now, most of the Cuban stock consists of various shorts.

 

'The Cigar' was our second stop.  I didn't expect to find much.  I got lucky!  They had a box or two of the 2020 Regional Edition Sancho Panza ΟΜΗΡΟΣ!  The kind proprietors of the shop were generous enough to let me buy a full box.

 

This regional is presumably named in reference to the famous Ancient Greek poet, Homer, who authored the Iliad and the Odyssey.  It was released and distributed by Phoenicia Trading A. A. Ltd. for Cyprus and Greece in 2020, yet production seems to be from 2022.  Its dimensions are 54 x 120mm or 4 3/4".  A magnum 54 size.  

 

Upon arriving happily home to our airbnb, we went up to our little terrace with some red wine and I lit one up.  

 

Incidentally, this is the first box of cigars I've bought that was sealed.  Oh, what a thrill it was to slice open those seals and open a fresh box of Habanos!  I was greeted with a deep, mulchy, earthy smell.  Not as sweet as I've come to expect from a bundle of Cubans.  In the few hours that have passed since opening the box, I've noticed a distinct ketchup aroma rising from the cigars.

 

In the first third of this cigar, I tasted sharp, light spice, some caramel on occasion, salty hot dog/bun on occasion, and gentle chocolate throughout. 

 

In the second third, the flavor changed and became more rich.  The best way I can describe this shift in flavor is that the cigar began to taste as though I were chewing on the wooden popsicle stick from the center of a chocolate fudge pop.  This may sound strange, but once the idea of that taste occurred to me, I couldn't shake it.  Fleeting vanilla bean showed up for a bit.  The spice remains pleasant and constant and the retrohale actually smoothes out a bit.  Spicy, syrupy, milk chocolate on the lips.  Quite a nicotine kick too!

 

In the final third, the cigar remains much the same as it was in its second third, but amplifies its own richness.  It is rich milk chocolate/chocolate cake, with some raw coffee bean bitterness.

 

Unfortunately, I found the construction of this cigar to be relatively poor.  The draw was quite open and airy.  I think it was under-filled because despite the ample smoke output, the burn required touch-ups and relights.  

 

The flavor was delicious though.  I don't have much experience with Sancho Panza, having only sampled two or three Bellicosos and one Gran Quixote.  From what I understand about the typical Sancho Panza profile, this ΟΜΗΡΟΣ was a rich cigar in line with that profile.  Perhaps with more chocolate than the standard profile.  I hope that, in time, the caramel and vanilla bean notes I tasted become more prominent.

 

Overall, it was a pleasure to smoke this cigar.  My girlfriend has proven herself particularly adept and enthusiastic in regards to choosing luxurious airbnbs.  As a result of this, we are nestled between the Plaka and Monastiraki Square, under the Acropolis with a beautiful view of Athens.  What a great setting in this wonderful city to enjoy this new cigar!  I only wish we had more time here, however if that were the case I'd probably end up smoking the other nine cigars from this box!

 

I'm curious to hear how others with more experience with Sancho Panza think this cigar stacks up to a typical Sancho Panza profile.  Thanks for bearing with this long review!

[JohnS]

Well done @oneizzzz, this review is magnificent. I can really imagine smoking this cigar in Athens myself. 

It was great to see that the guys at 'The Cigar' had this in stock. In September I visited 'Miamis' and it was as you described, rather bare!

This Sancho Panza cigar sounds like it has a typical Sancho Panza salty blend mixed with some sweet chocolate notes on account of the supple, colorado-maduro shade wrapper. Hmmm...quite nice.

[oneizzzz]

Thanks @JohnS!

I'm in the habit of reading your reviews in your smoking diary, and I always get excited when you post new ones.  I love reading them so it's very gratifying to hear you've enjoyed one of mine in turn!

[El Presidente]

9 hours ago, oneizzzz said:

The flavor was delicious though.  I don't have much experience with Sancho Panza, having only sampled two or three Bellicosos and one Gran Quixote.  From what I understand about the typical Sancho Panza profile, this ΟΜΗΡΟΣ was a rich cigar in line with that profile.  Perhaps with more chocolate than the standard profile.  I hope that, in time, the caramel and vanilla bean notes I tasted become more prominent.

You had me salivating! 

[ha_banos]

They should go modern and have named it Sancho Panza Gyros!

 

I'd love to get hold of a box. Missed the previous Greek regionals. Not travelling and no Greek cigar mules available. 

[Stoyan]

I liked it a lot, despite not being a fan of the vitola. They are much better (lot more flavor) than the new regionals for Bulgaria and the balkani. I managed to get 2 boxes and I’m waiting 2 more. Cheers.

[MrBirdman]

Great review, thank you. 

The hype train for PCC’s Sancho lancero picks up steam!