TX Duo Review - Warped Don Reynaldo Coronas de Luxe 2019

[Çnote]

This one is pretty special. Kyle Gellis attributes his love of cigars to to his father, and in particular, notes his father's appreciation for CC. The Don Reynaldo line is named for his father. The Corona de Luxe 2014 was the inital release. Regalos are a slightly different size in limited, but regular, production. In 2019, several 'on hiatus' Warped cigars were re-released, including the Coronas de Luxe. There have also been a DR70th and a DR 'Grand 10th' released more recently. All of the DR releases have been rolled at Titan de Bronze. As usual, thank you Halfwheel.

Vcut - wrapper and cold draw are intense barnyard, marshmallow and cocoa dust

From the 1st puff this is majestic. Smooth cream, touch of high toned nasal baking spices. Very CCesque, but punchy. Slowly builds over the 1st third with complexity until shifting into pepper creme mole on a huge wave of flavor, mouth filling intensity at about 1/2 way. I can tell this isn't perfect, today's ambient humidity is clashing with my storage and my spring sniffles are being ignored; even with deliberate pacing there's a harshness and lack of sweetness that i remember from this, the 2014 & the 'regular' production Don Reynaldos. Getting close to the band, the cigar gods hear my pleas and I'm given a shot of molasses and ginger. I have a solid inch of blissful nub that blasts pan grille, creme caramel, blackened marshmellow, orange slices coated in tajin.

I'll give this a hard fought 88 and hope for the usual 92-94 next time I dig.

[Çnote]

@Capn_Jackson

[Capn_Jackson]

Please forgive my delay, folks. Multiple viruses momentarily found a home in the Yandell household, and I was not in smoking shape until this weekend.

Nice looking corona, very excited to try this one. Cold draw, cereal grains and hazelnut.

Opening light, I get quite a bit of spice, a little honeyed anise, and a slightly berry aftertaste. Blueberry.

First third carries lots of earthy vibes. Pepper, some woody notes, maybe a little buttered popcorn, perhaps even a hint of toffee but that’s stretching it. Low on sweetness, but very nice aromas.

Didn’t really get a lot else through to the midpoint. Buttered popcorn and campfire smoke. Fragrant, but slightly dull. The texture is very nice, too, and the burn/construction is excellent. Just low on excitement. Whisps of green bell pepper here and there. Tiny bit of black olive. Fine for a supreme pizza, but not the makings of a great smoking experience. I’m really searching for something sweet, which would balance this out so brilliantly. Perhaps the cigar is a dud? Not sure, but I’ll keep rolling and see if anything of note occurs.

I resign myself to enjoy the mellow, pleasant tobacco notes, while wishing for more oomph, and then it happens. Going to the last third, there is a distinct uptick in richness. Some serious aged Upmann vibes now. Where was this for the first 45 mins?? I texted Cody here about the moment in Fellowship of the Ring, when Frodo tells Gandalf there’s no writing on The Ring. Then “Wait… there are markings,” and the change on Gandalf’s face. That’s me at this point. Markings suddenly appeared. Sweet pecan, marshmallow cream, and even a little cocoa. No Longbottom Leaf, but we’re getting somewhere.

Going on, baking spices and gingerbread, all the good stuff is there. Around the band, pecan turns to walnut cream. Cocoa. A little dark treacle even. Glad I stuck with the stick, but the first half was nothing to write home about. Last half was very nice, and completely different from the first. I guess it gets lots of points for development, but up to the midpoint…. very monotone for me. Not bad, just monotone, and nowhere near the richness of the second half. Two different cigars. I liked the second one!

[Çnote]

So....

We smoked the same cigar. We even come close to saying same things at same points. Kinda same experience. Maybe a little lackluster performance of this cigar today as we both had high hopes for this one...

[Capn_Jackson]

7 hours ago, Çnote said:

So....

We smoked the same cigar. We even come close to saying same things at same points. Kinda same experience. Maybe a little lackluster performance of this cigar today as we both had high hopes for this one...

Yes, certainly seems like we had a nearly identical experience. Not all exact pinpointed flavors in common, but the overall tones of each half of the cigar were about the same, for us both.