Saint Louis Rey Petit Coronas AEP MAY 07

[Claudius]

Saint Louis Rey Petit Coronas AEP MAY 07 (or is it 08? ;-))

Here's a beautiful, well-constructed mareva in that oily chocolate dress (maduro) most of us like best. The head is slightly rounder than they usually are. Perfect triple cap. Pre-smoke draw is very firm (60), almost tight. Leather on the lips and a spicy fig aroma in mouth and nose.

Quick and easy lighting with a free Cohiba Mini lighter. The first puffs reveal thick, rich smoke with a fruity and floral aroma, medium in body. The burn is sharp and the ash is solid. The cigar has a piquant, slightly harsh nature, most probably due to its young age.

Looking at the cigar closer, I realize that it has a strong case of "black kiss", the wrapper burning in a bent / curved way, slightly inflated just in front of the burning part. This is usually a sign of youth.

In the second third, leather joins the fruity and floral mix of flavors, immediately followed by a salty note. Not overly salty like a Sancho Panza often is, but a quality saltiness. Like the Maldon sea salt flakes that I tend to decorate grilled meat with.

The ash is ridiculously solid; it just doesn't want to come off!

After roughly half the cigar, the ash finally falls off. The smoke has become leathery and creamy and settled into a nice mix with the floral notes which tended to dominate the first half of this mareva.

In the last third, the draw is becoming difficult as the cigar evolves into a more complex smoke: the floral becomes sweet and the piquant becomes a mild spice mix. The ash is solid and the burn flawless. My jaw hurts a little from the tight draw. Time to put this one to die in the astray.

In summary, I would say that the piquant nature of this petit corona as well as the high aging potential of its older family members give me hope for good mid- to long-term aging potential.

89 with a potential of 93.

[aavkk]

I cant say enough about the picture quality! Awesome review. thank you so much for putting yet another mareva in my to buy list. Serioulsy, this has quickly become my favorite size smoke.

[brian1]

Nice review Ramon ;-)

[Hugomarink]

Outstanding review and wonderful pics. It certainly looks like a tasty cigar. Thanks!

[greenpimp]

Great review. I enjoy my 03's that I have. Not quite as strong as what you describe. Great pics BTW. Where the hell you get that free lighter?

The 07's are turning out pretty damn good, IME.

[Claudius]

» Great review. I enjoy my 03's that I have. Not quite as strong as what

» you describe. Great pics BTW. Where the hell you get that free lighter?

»

» The 07's are turning out pretty damn good, IME.

I think the SLRs mellow out over time, the harshness goes away and the aromas mix. I smoked an 01 SLR Regios yesterday that was more complex, full flavored, medium bodied that was just fantastic, but I find reviews of hard-to-find cigars frustrating for those who read the review and want to try them, so I chose to review an 07. :-)

The lighter I got from a merchand in Germany or Switzerland, forgot where. But it's for the Cohiba Minis, you know, the cigarillos or whatever they are. It says Mini under the Cohiba logo. If you want one, I think I have 2 or 3 so I can send you one.