2007 Saint Luis Rey Double Corona Forum Group Review

[Colt45]

Previous SLR DC Experience:

I've smoked (and still have) a number of '05 samples. To date, I've found them to be rather straightforward

and not very complex.

Drink:

No drink along with this cigar.

Setting:

Rather dull - a bright sunny day, low 40sF, winds receding from the gale force of the past few days

to a more manageable breeze. Just me, a folding chair, pen and paper in a sunny corner.

Construction:

Weight felt proper, foot showed a nice bunch, head under cap seemed a bit tightly rolled. There

was a slight but noticeable ribbon indentation in the barrel. Felt quite hard at the head.

Wrapper:

Light caramel in color, silky to the touch with a light sheen of oil.

Relatively vein free. Beautiful in appearance.

Aroma at Cold:

Slightly funky tobacco. Lightly perfumed.

Pre light Draw:

Slightly tight with a light taste of sweet tobacco.

Taste

First Third:

Smooth buttery mouth feel, a bit of white pepper. Straightforward tobacco with a very light fruitiness

on the front and mid palate - finish is rather bland / papery.

A good draw that is just on the tight side, with good smoke volume. A very good burn. Light gray ash

with medium striations which held well - very good combustion. At this point, medium in body,

very smooth with no hard edges.

Second Third:

More of the same. Finish picks up hints of anise on some draws, becoming slightly longer.

Fully medium / medium plus in body. Shows great depth, though lacking any real complexity.

Continues a straight burn, picking up a bit more fruit on the finish, which is also moving from

papery to a light cedar, though still rather arid.

Draw remains on the tight side of excellent while smoke volume remains acceptable.

Smooth and buttery remains the dominant feature. Past mid point of this third, finish becomes

smoother and fruitier - almost juicy.

A few nasal exhalations accentuate the fruit and shows a bit of almond. The aroma as

well shows some amaretto.

Final Third:

Draw opens slightly, with a bit more smoke volume. Cigar on the whole begins to show

a bit more anise, especially on the finish. Nasal exhalations continue to show fruit

the likes of a hard fruit candy. Showing some earthiness with a sense of mint on the front

of the palate and the tongue. Moving toward full bodied but remaining smooth and

not what I'd consider strong. Burn and ash remain true. Late in the game the finish offers

a heightened sharpness, but is not bitter or harsh. A one time hint of coconut macaroon.

No real spice to speak of. Becoming slightly more earthy and leaving a youthful tingle

on the tip of the tongue. Very late becomes somewhat green and medicinally minty.

I set it down with just over an inch left.

Conclusion:

Overall, enjoyable enough, but still out of sorts and showing it's youth. Not very complex at this time. 86/100

I'm thankful for the opportunity, and look forward to reading the already posted and forthcoming reviews.

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[El Presidente]

Saint Luis Rey Double Corona.

Friday afternoon and Smithy came to visit us ….just in time for the Friday afternoon BBQ. Smithy learned a hell of a lot while working here at Czar house.

I can tell you that cooking the team BBQ at Czar house is a nerve wracking experience. Lisa and Diana are Nazi’s on how they like their steak cooked. The sliced potatoes on the hot plate have to be done “just right” and this week they threw Halloumi cheese into the mix….”Rob…Chrispy on the outside….but not melted”

Post lunch I thought it a perfect opportunity for Smithy and I to do our SLR DC reviews. We partnered the SLR DC initially with some Melting Pot Shiraz and later Santiago Rum.

This cigar looks magnificent. Soft and silky wrapper. Aroma at cold is dark and rich. Construction feels a little hard. Weight in hand appears a little too heavy. Clipped the cap and the draw was firm but fine. Flavours on the palate from the pre light draw were a mix of tobacco and hay.

The SLR DC took easily to flame. Real softness to the smoke but also a little white pepper through the nose. Light/Medium bodied…stretching toward medium the longer the cigar progressed. I am initially let down by the lack of complexity to the smoke itself. There is a bready heart and a hint of sweetness but all in all the first third of the cigar is protecting her modesty. The SLR DC has no intention at this stage to walk away from our initial encounter with us saying any more than ‘She was a lovely girl”. Smithy and I discussed the fact that we could sense the real quality lying beneath but we just could not taste it at this stage. The burn was a little funky on my example. Aroma reminded me very much of a Sir Winston….baked shortbread and tobacco.

The second third introduced some nuances of vanilla, orange peel but only in “flashes”. The bready core remained intertwined with weak milk coffee. It has now reached a solid medium in body. Volume of smoke washing across the palate has increased and it has benefitted the cigar as a whole. More depth of flavour and yet the flavours are still quite underdeveloped.

The final third was set up for a crescendo where the fair maiden ran from the nunnery and became a high class show girl full of feathers and colour. Unfortunately not. The SLRDC managed to somehow go backwards as the youth of the cigar shone through with some ammonia notes which resonated as wet cut grass. This pretty much washed away the more subtle flavours which I had been enjoying to this point.

Overall a disappointing cigar. It has potential…the question is how much? This is what we will learn over the course of this experiment.

I have had plenty of 07 SLRDC from this code but none since mid November. They have definitely changed and are entering what appears to be a slumber. Lets hope that it awakes more as Audrey Hepburn than Queen Elizabeth.

86/100 3/6

[BigSlick]

Are we making a run at this for 09?

I will gladly purchase a box of cigars and pay for the SLR DC to have it piggy backed for shipping to keep this rolling.

[anacostiakat]

  BigSlick said:

Are we making a run at this for 09?

I will gladly purchase a box of cigars and pay for the SLR DC to have it piggy backed for shipping to keep this rolling.

I was thinking the same thing as far as ordering is concerned. Let us know Rob so we can get orders in at the same time.

[GTS21]

I got a stick in the mail, unbanded....is this the SLR DC for review? Thanks

[ksblazer]

I look forrward to seeing more SLR DC reviews. The funny thing is that I purchased a cab of them just before this thread started up. I enjoyed them when they were very young (under 1 year) then they needed some nap time. I have been smoking 2 to 3 a year waiting for them to come back around. It's been a while since I had smoked one and did so last night. The one I had last night was very smokable with that classic SLR profile. I know they are only going to get better with age and have a feeling that these cigars will be getting talked about a lot more in the near future.