Sancho Panza Molinos ABR OCT ‘11 (RMRRW-DSS)

Capn_Jackson · July 15, 2023

This cigar was given to me by a great BOTL (thanks, Brian!) and will be the first time I’ve ever tried a Sancho Panza. Excited to light it up.

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Fairly smooth stick, with some bumps here and there. Great-looking chocolate brown wrapper, and a soft square press. This guy has been very well-kept over the 12 years it’s been stored. The wrapper has a slight barnyard aroma, and some cedar. Cold draw has a little hay, and a little mineral/salt. Very nearly a perfect draw after dry-boxing for one day. After first lighting, I taste lots of cream, some hay, and some light honey.

First third:

The first third is mostly floral notes along with some wood, honey, and a tiny bit of citrus. It has a long finish, laced with what reminds me of a lemon coulis - that stuff on top of a cheesecake - more sweet than tart, and also a tiny bit of nutmeg.

Strength seems to be right about medium, if not a little lower. The texture and specifically mouthfeel I’m getting is oily, rather than creamy. I love cigars with an oily mouthfeel. JL1 and Punch Short feel the same way, at least to me. The draw is excellent on this stick, and lots of smoke output. The ash is a little weak, shedding itself sporadically, but the burn line seems to be constant.

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Second third:

A little change in flavor. The citrus note from before is almost gone, but the floral quality kicks up and the honey sweetness becomes a little bit darker. Also, that little bit of salt is getting stronger on the palate. Strength still holding around medium, if even that. The finish has gained some more great notes of wood, kind of a tangy hickory, as well as some white pepper to go with that nutmeg. Texture at this point changes over to creamy, rather than oily. Starting around the middle of the cigar, I have to give some touch-ups here and there.

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Final third:

Heading into the final third, the honey from before has morphed into sort of a dark molasses, and marshmallow cream. Delicious! Vivid floral notes still remain, and the nutmeg from earlier is now very pronounced and sweet. The long finish is about the same, but with a tiny bit of chili oil on top of everything. Other than the few touch-ups in the second half, no real construction problems on this cigar.

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At my pace, this was about an hour and forty-five minutes of some great flavors, and no “edges” or “elbows” to be found. Very smooth, no bitterness, good to the last puff. Glad I got to try a Sancho Panza finally. I give this beauty a 93.