Don Alfredo Seleccion No. 51

GTS21 · June 24, 2007

A little background on this cigar:

According to MRN, Don Alfredo is one of three "Dunhill exclusive brands." These were brands produced for the "exclusive distribution of cigar merchant Alfred Dunhill of London." (See MRN, pg. 124)

Also according to MRN, the brand was created in the late 1960s and named after Mr. Alfred Dunhill, and the brand was discontinued in 1982 when the Dunhill brand was created. (See MRN, pg. 124)

The other Dunhill exclusive brands are Don Candido and Flor del Punto (these will be reviewed in due course).

The cigar being reviewed is the Seleccion Numero 51, a cervantes with ring gauge 42 and length of 6.5 in.

For more information on this brand, please see MRN, pgs 124-125.

The pics...

more pics...

and some more...

"scratch-n-sniff" shot

"cigar-on-a-rope" shot

Last set...

The setting: Another hazy, hot and humid day on the deck, but with a light breeze this time that made it bearable, pleasant in fact.

The cigar: Don Alfredo Seleccion Numero 51 (70s)

Paired with: Flavored water

There are not a lot of tasting notes floating around for this brand of cigars. In fact, MRN states that “Don Alfredo cigars are much less easy to come by in the vintage cigar market than Don Candido.” MRN further states that “Very probably because of their short history, Don Alfredo cigars are less well known than Don Candido cigars….” Finally, MRN points out that “I have little experience with this brand, I have smoked some and indeed, the initial impressions were great….” (See MRN, pg. 125)

My impression? Probably one of the best cigars I have ever smoked. Period.

This cigar had a medium brown wrapper, rustic and uneven cap and a minimal amount of veins. Almost no noticeable box press, and almost no tooth. Directly out of the box, the cigar was covered in dust and bloom, which I carefully wiped off prior to smoking. The cigar felt uniform in construction, and lacked the fragility that older cigars like these sometimes have. Indeed, during the smoke, there was no cracking, peeling or splitting of the wrapper, and even the cap remained firmly in place when cutting it.

I clipped the rounded top and, much like the 70s Hoyo DC recently reviewed, was treated to a perfect draw.

This cigar was extremely complex throughout. The kind of complexity that kept me asking throughout the smoke “what the hell was that flavor?” Not having written down tasting notes as I smoked, I’ll do my best to summarize some of the flavors I noticed….a distinct wine flavor, alternating back and forth between dry wine and sweet grapes. Notes of honey, sugary bread, and even a little meatiness. A mild spice throughout, lending itself to a fair amount of nose exhalation. A looooong finish, lasting on the palette for minutes between puffs. I typically take two puffs at a time, but this cigar didn’t need it. In fact, this would have likely heated it up.

Excellent smoke volume, just the right amount of brownish/blue smoke. The ash was darker than I would have expected, and quite flaky, yet predictable enough that my pants and shirt remained unscathed.

I smoked this cigar down as far as possible, which was about a half an inch, at which time it became too hot on the fingers and the lips. It remained well behaved flavor-wise right until the end.

Overall, a rare treat that did not disappoint.