Saint Luis Rey Double Corona Group Review Thread

[El Presidente]

You are all experienced reviewers so I won't list a format for review. What I will ask you to do is to start your review with your storage conditions ie...Temperature and Relative Humidity.

In summary, this is the 2nd year of a 5 year experiment to see how a cigar evolves with time. In essence we are following the efffects aging has on a cigar.

We chose the 2007 Saint Luis Rey Double Corona for the test because it is still produced in relatively low numbers and from only one factory. We wanted to minimise the risk of blend inconsistency. The cigars have been held at 17 degrees Celcius and 65% RH while in storage.

I look forward to your reviews gentlemen!

[Mel]

Are we ready to start smoking then? Are they rested enough? You know me mate I'd have burned mine by now but I was told to wait.

[anacostiakat]

You are all experienced reviewers so I won't list a format for review. What I will ask you to do is to start your review with your storage conditions ie...Temperature and Relative Humidity.

In summary, this is the 2nd year of a 5 year experiment to see how a cigar evolves with time. In essence we are following the efffects aging has on a cigar.

We chose the 2007 Saint Luis Rey Double Corona for the test because it is still produced in relatively low numbers and from only one factory. We wanted to minimise the risk of blend inconsistency. The cigars have been held at 17 degrees Celcius and 65% RH while in storage.

I look forward to your reviews gentlemen!

What is our window to get this done. I need to have adequate time for this. I don't want to be rushed and I might not be able to get to this done until end of week. Need to know if that is a problem.

[El Presidente]

What is our window to get this done. I need to have adequate time for this. I don't want to be rushed and I might not be able to get to this done until end of week. Need to know if that is a problem.

To be completed by the end of the month (April)

[Colt45]

Storage Conditions: ≈ 60° F, 62%

Construction: Overall very nice, though it feels a bit heavy and perhaps tightly packed (this showed no impact).

Appearance: Silky colorado, nicely oiled wrapper. Some dimples and light veining. Cigar has a bit of an upward curve.

Pre-light Aroma / Draw: Light barnyard aroma, nice draw of light cocoa and sweet tobacco.

Draw / Burn / Smoke Volume: Excellent draw, burn just slightly off overall, smoke volume very good overall.

Taste: Initial draws of salty spice and white beans. Immediately shows nice richness. Draw early is very good, though smoke volume could

improve. White bean soon gives way to unsweetened milk chocolate, with the salt becoming white pepper. Draw and burn are exemplary with

smoke volume picking up nicely. Intermittent fruit notes which are on the citrus side versus stewed.

Body from the start has been medium, with the early spiciness subsiding to show just a bit of pepper on the finish. As the first third ends, I'm

impressed with the smooth, integrated, balanced combination of chocolate, fruit, and pepper - none of which are heavy or overpowering.

All this wrapped in a rich, dense mouth feel and long finish. Happily, smoke volume has become very good as well.

Into the mid third, there is a sudden shift to a sweeter profile - a cross between amaretto and cotton candy. A nice change, but for me this

would be too much for a whole cigar - especially one of this size. I'm loving the the richness, density, and long clean finish. And though there

have been hints of green chilis, I'm starting to wish for a bit of a change. Body has become deceptively medium plus.

Passing midpoint and into the final third, the early white bean character intermittently returns, but overall it has remained a rich, fairly sweet cigar.

Fully into the final third, some herbal notes creep in, along with more pepper on the finish, but the cigar remains smooth and well mannered.

And so it remains to the end.

Score: 90

Comments: The best SLR DC I've smoked to date, though I would have liked a bit more complexity and a less sweet overall profile.

Thanks again for the opportunity to participate, and I look forward to the rest of the reviews.

[Ginseng]

Excellent review, Colt. I smoked mine yesterday and I can attest that this cigar has improved dramatically in the intervening 12 months. Will write up and post my review this weekend.

Wilkey

[El Presidente]

Great review Colt. I hope we are seeing the first signs of a real transition in this cigar.

[Tom Bolivar]

Dear all

First let me apologize again for not logging on more to FOH. Never the less I am honoured to take part in this yearly tasting and it was a very sweet reminder to pay FOH a visit again.

My second cigar arrived in a large envelope that was more colourful than a Christmas tree. It looked as if my stick got sent three times around the world. I was worried when I opened up the envelope only to be pleasantly surprised that the cigar survived its long trip and just was a tad note on the dry side.

I put it in my humidor which had about 12° Celsius and 73/75% of relative humidity. One week later on a sunny week end (spring is coming on strong here) I took it out to smoke.

I couldn’t believe how smooth and silky the wrapper felt. It was almost like having a wax candle in my handy. The wrapper was really nice and slightly oily. The cigar itself must have been on the outside of the semi rueda, touching the silk ribbon since it had a slight twist/bent in the middle. This, as well as the little crack from travelling, were no problemo while smoking it.

So I lit the cigar and was immediately regarded with rich thick smoke plastering my taste buds. The first few puffs already promised an excellent smoke experience. The tobacco taste was nice and I thought I was able to taste this pleasant sourness that is typical for me in Saint Luis Rey cigars. Kind of like sour bread tastes. After about an inch the cigar slowed down and went a bit less expressive (this is something I notice a lot in top nodge cigars – they do not go bad, but just “calm” down a bit for an inch or so).

When it picked up again I was getting a slight note of nutmeg and/or gingerbread. This reminded me of why this Double Coronas is my favourite Prominentes. The gingerbread was not as intense as I remembered it from the last year’s cigar. But it was there.

The last third saw an increase in all the tastes while the cigar at no point was unpleasant, on the contrary. Spicy tobacco, buttery sour bread and a subtle note of gingerbread.

Thru out the smoke I tried to remember the cigar I (half) smoked last year. I tried to see if there was an increase or if this year’s cigar was smoother or anything. But I’m sorry to say that this year’s cigar – as excellent as it was (and boy it was excellent) – felt the same as the one smoked last year. My say is that it is still too early to taste a difference but the cigars chosen for this long term tasting are excellent basic material!

Thank you again for letting me participate.

Best Regards,

Tom

[El Presidente]

Well done Tom

[anacostiakat]

Stored at 63/68. Pairing with a Tait 2007 The Wild Ride Shiraz.

Construction: Overall very nice, though it feels a bit heavy and perhaps tightly packed .

Appearance is a medium light wrapper. Somewhat oily. Bumpy and not

really appealing to the eye. Firm with no soft spots.

Pre-light aroma reveals a nice cedar and slight barnyardy smell. Pre-butn draw is toasty tobacco along with some choco-cocoa

sweetness. Draw is a little tight initially. I like a firm draw but this is a little past that.

Initial flavor is clean toasty tobacco and surprisingly to me spice.

Only a quarter inch and burn is razor sharp. The nose on this is very very nice. Some salty nuttiness and back palate fruit on each puff's finish. Spice disappeared pretty quickly.

Replaced with some saltiness that has some nutty undertones. Very nice

flavors. Burn is getting raggedy. But has righted itself on it's own. Draw has improved thankfully and the output of smoke as well. First third is finished.

Second third has been mundane in that it has not improved. Steady is the word. Delivering the same as the first third but without much complexity sadly. I will say it has stepped up a notch in strength. The tobac flavors are prevelent. The nose shows some white pepper. Slight, very slight salted nuts. But a smooth nose with a tinge of pepper. I am noticing a very hard ash when ashing.

Starting the last third. So far I characterize this as a good cigar only.

Hello. This third is starting off wonderfully. More body. The nose has gone totally smooth now.

No change in flavor though. One demensional pretty much from that point. Pleasent toasty tobac flavors until about the band when it went totally bland and got pitched.

I give this about an 88, cause I enjoyed what it had to offer. It just did not make a statement. No character. I would not touch these for, well quite a few years. But I am eager to try next year's to see if/how much they have improved.

Thanks again!

[jay8354]

Storage Conditions: Approx. 65° F, 65%, was in the humidor for 3 weeks before dry boxed for 1 day.

Construction: Slightly Box pressed at the foot of the cigar. Good construction with no hard or soft spots

Appearance: Silky colorado, nicely oiled wrapper. Only slight veins showing

Drink: Cardinals Pedro Ximinez Sherry

Pre-light Aroma / Draw: Slight Hay, Nutmeg and spices

1st Third: A bit tight on the initial draw, burn was balanced. Lots of promises with richness of cream, cocoa, light taste of grass/hay and a touch of spices at the end. This was quite a dance of flavours as each one came and went. The only exception was the creaminess and the cocoa which stayed for the duration of the 1st third of the cigar.

Smoke volume was good but could have improved, but I attribute this to the tight draw of the cigar. I was hoping that it will loosen but this did not occur.

2nd Third: The draw now have improved, possibly the heat have finally loosened up the cigar. The cream and cocoa still remained but now is not as much in the foreground. Coming through more prominently are the spices and saltiness. The salt tang or sea breeze kept building up, to the point where it was quite over-powering. I can still taste a bit of green grass that comes forward between the powerful salt and medium spices.

The burn now have started to be off to the left and required a few touch ups.

3rd Third: This was a frustrating part of the cigar for me. The burn was terrible, as the wrapper refused to stay lit. As a result, the cigar was tunnelling quite badly and required constant attention.

The saltiness is still there, but starting to abate. Coming back was the richness of the cream but not as much as the 1st third. Cocoa and a light sweetness comes through. There were hints of potential but nothing that lasted. It was like the cigar teasing you with flavours on the tip of you tongue.

Conclusion: While this is still a good cigar with promises of the potential it can become, I am not sure when will be the turning point when you get the “WOW” factor. At the moment, while I can see that the cigar is starting to develop into something amazing, I am not sure if I would reach for it at the moment. Sure, it is not as green as last year but the flavour profile is lacking and not balanced.

I think that even for next year it will not be ready yet. For me, IMHO, I think it will be the last 2 years of the experiment when we can ‘taste’ the reason why this cigar is special.

Score: 75, 3 smoke rings (harsh, but I am trying to give it a honest experience based on my taste testing only)

Thanks again to Rob providing for this experiment.

[shrink]

Storage Conditions: ≈ 65° F, 63%

Construction: Heavy in the hand, quite firm to the touch with no obvious hard or soft spots. Appears to be well-rolled.

Appearance: The wrapper was a medium-dark mahogany, with a light oily sheen in the light.

Pre-light Aroma: Sweet fermented tobacco and dried fruits.

Draw / Burn / Smoke Volume: Draw was firm at first, but opened up nicely, burn was ideal, smoke volume was initially lacking but soon became excellent.

Taste: The first draw impressed with rich spices and a light, peppery finish. Almost immediately, the cigar simply exploded with dense flavors of toffee, sweet allspice, ginger, sweet and sour fermenting hay, and succulent dried fruits. The fruit flavors were reminiscent of dried apricots and orange peel. There was also some light cocoa and nuances of licorice. The finish was long, with sweet spice and white pepper.

In the first third, I would describe this cigar as full-bodied, but not too strong. It was easily the most full-bodied and richly flavorful SLR DC I've ever smoked. This was already a very complex smoke, but with all the competing flavors it couldn't quite decide what it wanted to express in any given draw. The smoke was dense, oily and lingered in the mouth after each exhalation. By the end of the first third, the draw had opened and provided more than adequate smoke volume.

By the second third, the intensity of flavor subsided somewhat, which I found welcome. I don't think I would enjoy a Double Corona that remained this full-bodied throughout. The initial sweetness also mellowed somewhat, and the overall flavor profile took on a nice spice cake quality. Ginger and dried fruit then began to dominate. By the end of the first third, the cigar was medium-bodied, lightly sweet and exhibited a complex, delightful finish.

By the final final third, the cigar was more reminiscent of SLR DC's of years past. There was a bittersweet profile of spice cake, dried fruits and a light peppery finish. The cigar seemed more mature at this point, and was quite approachable for a Double Corona only two years off the roller's table. It was surprisingly smooth and pleasant to smoke right down to the band.

Score: 92 Potential: 94-95

Comments: The last year has dramatically transformed this cigar. It is the fullest-bodied, most flavorful and complex SLR DC that I've ever smoked at two years of age, and effortlessly surpassed all the 2004 and 2005 examples I've had. If this is representative of the early 2007 vintage, I would expect it to best even the vaunted 2001's. It has all the hallmarks of a great cigar, only needing a few more years to tame its tremendous latent power and complexity.

I really enjoyed this cigar, and look forward to sampling more in the years ahead. Thanks for the opportunity to participate in this review.

[Jimmy2]

SLR DC 07

Wrapper- Lite Golden brown with green tint some oil present.

Storage : Temp 66 Humidity 65

Cap -perfect

Weight in hand - Perfect balance

Draw cold - perfect lite floral flavor

Smell cold - lite tobacco with some spice

1 half :

Mild in strength / Lots of smoke

flavors noted :

Lite tobacco -very short on palette dead on arrival

Cinnamon - first couple of puffs no dead !!

salt - but very lite almost non existent

Bitterness !!! - main flavor

Summary first half :

very little flavor with a very short finish and a very boring smoke.I just want to get this review over with as fast as posible.Also bitter and just an awfully after taste with ever puff.I must say this was a very bad blended cigar dead on arrival fist half !!!

Half point to cap :

Med flavor is that's what you want to call it !!

Still same flavors as noted above no change oh the torcher !!!

Two 07 SLR DC are no way near the enjoyment of the 04 and 06 SLR DC totally different animals !!

A very boring smoke and a painful one at that to review this 07 was a BUST !!!

Also if you want to smoke a DC that's outstanding from start to finish go with the 08 Partagas Lusi's. As they are what a DC should be a long smoke with pure enjoyment. Also the are full flavored and true to the Partagas flavor did any one say 1997 blend ? I would say very close to it !!!!

SLR DC Rated;

1 smoke ring out of 5

75 out of 100

[Mel]

My review is short. I struggled to smoke the tight beast for 3/4 inch and tossed it. I had dry boxed it for 24 hours after I cut it to find the tight draw and it did not help at all. I had to triple toke the thing to get any smoke that did not taste good and gave up. I refuse to become aggrivated at a hobby that is supposed to give relaxation.

Maybe next year?

[Colt45]

My review is short. I struggled to smoke the tight beast for 3/4 inch and tossed it.

Mel, you obviously received Ken's sample by mistake.

Or maybe not.......

[Jimmy2]

Mel I don't think any year will help these duds !!!

[Habanos2000]

Perfect test, totally consistent inconsistencies!

Are these cigars all from the same box? I have to admit that I've had cigars as well that had this much variance between them. Frustrating to say the least.

[Colt45]

Are these cigars all from the same box?

They are from two cabinets. Theoretically, at least, cigars from the same box may not have been rolled by the same roller or on the same day.

Though as Rob has pointed out, the SLR DC is produced in limited numbers by one factory.

[Mel]

I have smoked some very nice SLRDCs and still have a few from 02 that are great cigars but this last one I tried to burn this weekend was awful. I have seen a few cigars that were tight when young improve over time but I have plenty of plugged ten year olds too. My belief is that tight young is tight old. If a cigar does not oxidize at the proper rate then the flavors will be off and causes the smoker frustration that is opposite to the purpose of a cigar.

I have given away a half box at a time of overfilled cigars. I'd rather have Ken fight with them.LOL

[Ken Gargett]

Mel, you obviously received Ken's sample by mistake.

Or maybe not.......

after that review, rob will have to work twice as hard to make sure he can find us both dud cigars.

[Ken Gargett]

They are from two cabinets. Theoretically, at least, cigars from the same box may not have been rolled by the same roller or on the same day.

Though as Rob has pointed out, the SLR DC is produced in limited numbers by one factory.

when you see the guys in the factories colour coding them for consistency of colour in boxes, you realise just how much 'blending' of cigars from different rollers goes on. they all get dumped out and then split into matching colours (from memory, they have about 36 different shades - it is fascinating to watch).

may be havana need to think about ditching colour consistency for flavour consistency, which must surely be more acheivable if the cigars from an individual roller are boxed together. i'd prefer that but fat chance of it happening.

[Fuzz]

may be havana need to think about ditching colour consistency for flavour consistency, which must surely be more acheivable if the cigars from an individual roller are boxed together. i'd prefer that but fat chance of it happening.

Playing the devil's advocate, then you may get a full box of duds instead.

[stargazer14]

Mel, you obviously received Ken's sample by mistake.

Or maybe not.......

Was enjoying the reviews and this made me laugh to my belly.

[zuma]

Playing the devil's advocate, then you may get a full box of duds instead.

[OZCUBAN]

when you see the guys in the factories colour coding them for consistency of colour in boxes, you realise just how much 'blending' of cigars from different rollers goes on. they all get dumped out and then split into matching colours (from memory, they have about 36 different shades - it is fascinating to watch).

may be havana need to think about ditching colour consistency for flavour consistency, which must surely be more acheivable if the cigars from an individual roller are boxed together. i'd prefer that but fat chance of it happening.

I agree Ken It is a shame they cannot not "colour" code the wrappers Before they get to the rollers! then you would get the best of both worlds

Oz