Sancho Panza Molinos - HKU OCT03 (Blind Tasting Group)

[cigarnv]

Sancho Panza Molinos - HKU OCT03

A cigar group that I belong to is doing a blind tasting of 9 cigars over the course of the summer, this was cigar #2 in the tasting. All of the cigars came from Rob, and his team did a superb job of helping us put this tasting in place. There are 15 reviewers who are all seasoned Havana smokers and no reviews were released to the reviewers until all were submitted. Here is a short recap

Ratings

96+ 0 votes

90-95 4 votes

86-89 7 votes

80-85 2 votes

75-79 1 votes

74- 1 votes

NA 0 votes

“A very tasty cigar. This 6 3/8" x 40 lonsdale-appearing stick comes enrobed in a brown wrapper with a reddish-hue and minimal veins. Excellent construction without soft spots. It started with spice, white pepper, and wood. The first third brought both woody and woodsy notes with pepper, leather, and cocoa, as well as a fleeting hint of lemon zest. The tannic quality suggested this was a fairly recent production. The middle third brought mild earth and cream on a backdrop of wood, with notes of toasted tobacco and a slight floral quality. The last third saw a continuance of the woody core with sweet leather and a mild tangy flavor.”

“Pre light draw was good. Initially the flavor was quite mild and not very strong. The flavor after an inch or so blossomed into a pleasant aromatic medium strength smoke. A nasal exhale promoted a little tingle. The strength was medium at best and the flavors changed a little. My overall impressions of this well made cigar are that it would make a good "entry level" to Cubans for the beginning smoker. A little earthy and spicey enough to tantalize but truly no more than that.”

“Very earthy tobacco flavors turning richer as cigar progressed. In the first part of the cigar I got a note of strongly creamed coffee. Towards the middle of the cigar the rich earthy flavors are still going strong but I detected the addition of a little sweetness like a yeast bread rising in the oven. This note melded with the core flavors and that's the way the cigar finished 40 minutes later. I would call it full strength but maybe because of loose draw.”

“Pleasant but mild Habanos flavor at 1-2” in. A little leathery and earthiness building in but not much other than that for me although I would guess this has some age as it seems balanced. Just mild and not too complex. Strength gained a little past half way and seemed to hold. Finally a little hot and harsh toward end but I smoked it down pretty far.”

“Started with loads of smoke and a tobacco, earthyness. The smoke coated my mouth and a long finish. Flavors changing from the start, woody and floral notes. 2nd Third Wow this is an excellent cigar, floral, earthy, leathery this cigar has it all. Flavors exploding and dancing around some honey/fruity sweetness noted in the last part of this third.

Final Third: Rich and thick, I can almost scrap the taste from the roof of my mouth. All the flavors coming and going but ending Earthy-Woody. I burned blisters on my blisters smoking this one. While not a super stong cigar a solid medium body.”

“The prelight draw was excellent; not too tight and not too loose. I expected good things from this cigar. I was not let down from beginning to end. While I can't describe lots of subtle flavors, I can tell you there was a wonderful creaminess that lasted the whole smoke and indeed gave quite a long finish. The ash was over 1" before I flicked it off. The burn was perfect. This cigar was pure enjoyment for me and indeed my week ended in a cloud of blue, fragrant, Havana smoke.”

“I found the draw was very loose. I lit the cigar and set out with the dog. As is often true of cigars with loose draws, it provided lots of smoke. Also, as is often true of cigars with loose draws, the smoke was too hot. Probably because the smoke was hot, flavors were neither pleasant nor pronounced. I picked up some weak sweet spice flavors. I just didn't enjoy this cigar because of its very loose draw and lack of flavor.”

“The flavor at the start was almost nonexistent…merely very mild tobacco and nothing else. After about an inch or so, a suggestion of creaminess and earthiness began to show, along with traces of a nuttiness that I found attractive. The flavor developed more along the earthy lines and developed a touch of strength but was still quite mild.”

“The first few puffs showed some strength, but the power subsided and it turned into a nice, even bodied smoke. There was a hint of sweetness, with a light woodiness.”

“…woody, hints of roasted coffee beans and some underbrush. Now and then you would detect some apple and pear as well as a subtle burnt sugar nuances. Little harshness was present and a very pleasant aroma filled the room as the cigar threw off lots of smoke. This was not a strong cigar but it was very well balanced and revealed nice complexity. The burn, as suspected, was fast and the draw became overly easy as the cigar warmed. The finish on Cigar 2 was fairly short which may be due to the somewhat loose roll.”

[shrink]

Thanks to cigarnv and his cronies. I find these group tastings and reviews both interesting and valuable. Keep 'em up!

I have only smoked a few Molinos, but I agree with those who found it to be a medium bodied, mildly flavored smoke, with hits of wood, cocoa and spice. I much prefer the Hoyo de Dieux in this general profile.

[DrAlejandro]

Love the panel reviews as always... good job guys :-)