Saint Luis Rey Double Corona Group Review Thread

[brian1]

Stored at 68 Temp, 67 Humidity in my Aristocrat since I received the stick a month ago.

Drink:

Grey Goose/Cranberry

Smoking Time:

1.5 hours approx

Wrapper/ Construction:

Just like last years example Flawless 10/10.

Aroma at Cold:

Slight cocoa, maybe hints of cedar

Pre light Draw:

Very good, just enough amount of resistance

Taste

First Third:

Very cool smoke, creamy flavor very noticeable, some very pleasing sweetness also. Definately has my attention at this stage.

Second Third:

More cream and vanilla flavors with hints of bread maybe. Power has picked up and I can feel it in the nose, started to burn unven a little so torched it a few times to get it back on track. Definate hints of leather coming through also as I approach the final third.

Final Third:

leather coming to the fore now, a slight tannice harhness also coming through, probably due to its youth. They lovely creamy sweet flavor has gone and the intensity has definately picked up. I put it down with 1.5 inces to go.

Conclusion:

This may sound strange but I think last years example impressed me more...Nevertheless a very enjoyable cigar and one of the bext looking and constructed cigars I have smoked this year. You can tell top class raw materials were used. Overall I would give it 90/91.

[Habanos2000]

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

You're thinking like a capitalist. Knock it off!

[GTS21]

Sorry i'm late on this one guys, been a bit busy...i'll do my review tomorrow or Sunday, latest. Thanks

[GTS21]

Storage conditions: 63 F and approx 63% RH

Paired with diet soda

Appearance: Medium brown wrapper, moderately veiny, slightly toothy. Gorgeous, well-applied triple cap. Slightly waxy feel to the wrapper.

Feel: Uniformly spongy feel. Light in the hand, fairly loose roll.

Draw: Perfect draw, much better than I typically encounter in a double corona.

Pre-light flavor: light cocoa, cold tobacco

First third: Fairly mild, slight spice on the nose exhale. Graham cracker, bread, chocolate. Cigar remains oddly mild, and a slight fruitiness developing towards end of first-third. Nice steady burn, no touch-ups required. No runners. Abundant grey smoke.

Second Third: Slightly more spicy, though not changing dramatically. Fruit flavors increasing, and cocoa flavor decreasing. Grey, flaky ash, prone to falling on my lap. Burn starting to become a bit uneven. No purging seems to be required. Settling into mellow bready smoke with fruit at the tip of the tongue. Some animal flavor developing as well, some sort of a savory meat flavor.

Final Third: Strength continues to pick up. Long finish, stays on the palette. Chocolate returning, though a darker chocolate, a lower sugar content chocolate. Hint of a liquid smoke flavor.

Conclusion: An excellent cigar, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Much better than last year, though I suspect the improvement has much to do with variations within a cabinet rather than 1 more year of age. I wish all my double coronas smoked this well.

Pics to follow.....

[Trevor2118]

Sorry, a bit late!.

The Review.

The day:

Sunny but cool.

The drink:

Diet Coke.

The cigar:

Received in good condition, wonderful smell, silky wrapper.

Stored 30+days at 16deg C, 65% RH, in sealed ziplock pocket bag.

Dry boxed 2 days.

Before lighting:

Wonderful smell, silky wrapper, foot & cap good, uniform to feel, no soft or hard spots.

Sweet cold tobacco smell.

After cutting:

Good pre-draw.

After lighting:

Plenty of smoke.

Smooth mid strength flavour.

Good straight burn.

Good conical ash, no holes.

Sweet toasted tobacco & another toasted flavour....unknown!

At 2/3 point:

Still medium or lighter sweet toasted tobacco flavour.

Some irregular burn.

Another flavour almost predominant, like a toasted grain or mushrooms...totally unable to pin down.

At 3/3:

Some bitterness, toasted tobacco & unknown flavour persists.

No relighting required.

Overall:

Good average cigar, especially considering tobacco is from blend of tobaccos from the Vuelta Abajo and the Semi Vuelta regions.

Has it improved....I don’t think so!

I am wondering if the silky wrapper is indicative of a non-oily cigar?

The fragrance of the cigar cold is a winner, but it does not live up to expectations.

Would I purchase....No.

Thanks Rob.

EDIT: Having just read the submitted reviews, my "toasted grain" may be the "toasted bread" that others referred to, but I still have "Mushrooms" somewhere....not sure what this is about.

[pnutbutrsangwich]

Storage conditions: 63 F and approx 63% RH

Paired with diet soda

Appearance: Medium brown wrapper, moderately veiny, slightly toothy. Gorgeous, well-applied triple cap. Slightly waxy feel to the wrapper.

Feel: Uniformly spongy feel. Light in the hand, fairly loose roll.

Draw: Perfect draw, much better than I typically encounter in a double corona.

Pre-light flavor: light cocoa, cold tobacco

First third: Fairly mild, slight spice on the nose exhale. Graham cracker, bread, chocolate. Cigar remains oddly mild, and a slight fruitiness developing towards end of first-third. Nice steady burn, no touch-ups required. No runners. Abundant grey smoke.

Second Third: Slightly more spicy, though not changing dramatically. Fruit flavors increasing, and cocoa flavor decreasing. Grey, flaky ash, prone to falling on my lap. Burn starting to become a bit uneven. No purging seems to be required. Settling into mellow bready smoke with fruit at the tip of the tongue. Some animal flavor developing as well, some sort of a savory meat flavor.

Final Third: Strength continues to pick up. Long finish, stays on the palette. Chocolate returning, though a darker chocolate, a lower sugar content chocolate. Hint of a liquid smoke flavor.

Conclusion: An excellent cigar, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Much better than last year, though I suspect the improvement has much to do with variations within a cabinet rather than 1 more year of age. I wish all my double coronas smoked this well.

Pics to follow.....

You do reviews?

[SmokinLightning]

I'm running a bit late... things have been a little crazy and just got back into town.

I will have my review up this weekend!

[Ginseng]

Stored at around 62F/67%.

Smoking environment: 60F, light breeze outdoors, thermos of drip-brewed Turquino, bottle of filtered water. Feeling good. Reading research articles while sitting in a folding chair outside of the autoshop. The WRX is getting some new gear oil, plugs, and brake pads.

Construction and appearance: Beautifully constructed. Really well made with a neat cap and foot. The wrapper is a lovely tawny colorado shade, more suedelike than oily but obviously of excellent quality and lovingly applied. There's a fine speckly-freckly appearance in the sun and it has pronounced but fine veins. Weight in hand is just right with the barrel feeling quite nice with an appealing solidity and springiness.

Prelight impressions: I don't get too much with the breeze blowing but when I received it, I noted a pleasant earthy, leathery aroma. Cold draw reveals sweet tobacco and hay. The draw is moderately firm, just about right. The cap hides a little nipple that creates a little dimple in the bunch. No tobacco was cut save the wrapper at the head.

First third: Cool smoke that is light in volume but paradoxically very oily and dense on the palate. Viscous. Overall impression is of clean, light to medium-bodied tobacco base with hints of sweet straw. There is sweet cedar and a bit of pleasant grassiness. The burn is reasonably trouble-free and at the first ashing, the cigar reveals the expected cone-shaped coal. The ash is moderately dense. Dashes of nuts and more sweet hay. Thus far, it has been a pleasant if uninspiring cigar that is relatively unchanging in character. Amiable but not compelling.

Second third: In the second act, touches of breadiness and white pepper emerge. The sweet hay and grassiness persist but I sense a thickening of the texture and deepening of flavor overall. Still not a blockbuster, but now it is delivering flavor that is appropriate to a meaty looking cigar such as this. We're now solidly into medium tobacco base overlaid with breadiness, and a developing toasty character. Quite enjoyable now.

Final third: The cigar continues to build in power but never really reaches a crescendo of power, extraction, and flavor. Thus far it has been mild to medium in strength but now is clearly medium strong without any detectable harshness or nicotine buzz. The medium tobacco is foremost and the persistent sweet, hay character is the main impression. Smoke volume has picked up and so the whole experience in the mouth and upon expelling is now quite satisfying. I'm not knocked out but am enjoying this cigar for its unobtrusive, satisfying combination of flavor and texture. Toasty and sweet wood on leather keep it interesting but not riveting.

Overall impression: This year's cigar was significantly more enjoyable than last year's. The flavors were richer although still far from decadent. It also showed more development upon smoking although still not complex by any account. Enjoyable and no longer a dull, dumb stick. If these two sticks trace out a linear path to maturation, then I'd say in a few more years, it could become a very good, compelling cigar.

Wilkey

[Aficionado]

Pleasant to read.

Thanks guys.

[SmokinLightning]

Storage: 64% / 70-72 F

Location: Inside, due to hot temps and some annoying bee activity!

Construction: Firm, tightly rolled... feels very heavy in the hand. Wrapper is smooth and slightly oily. No blemishes or soft spots. The cap is perfectly formed. Foot appears evenly bunched and is just ever so slightly oval in shape.

Prelight: Smells like very clean tobacco and honey, very pleasant. After cutting, prelight draw is just all fresh cut hay flavors.

First Third: Draw is a tad bit firmer than I like, but it still produces clouds of thick white smoke. The ash is firm and light gray in color. Initial impression is of a very light/mild cigar. Flavors are hay with a touch of sweetness, very pleasant and smooth... leaves a nice aftertaste. Towards the end of the first third a very slight paprika-like taste makes an apperance.

Second Third: The flavors morph into a very nice sourdough bread. Body has gotten slightly heavier, but still in the light/light medium range. The draw has loosened up some and is perfect, as is the burn. Not a single hint of bitterness so far. Not a lot of complexity, but I am enjoying it.

Final Third: No real change from the second third, still a yeasty sourdough bread/sour cream taste with just a hint of honey and a tad more spice. Still never a bitter or off taste to be found.

Summary: What a difference from the roller coaster ride I had with last year's example. If I had to choose an adjective it would be "consistant". An enjoyable cigar, but not a lot of depth. Absolutely top-notch construction, never required any touch up to the burn. Had some splits in the wrapper at the very end, due to difficulties getting the band off but nothing that interfered with the experience.

Rating: Last year I believe I rated this pretty low... this example I would give an 88. Could easily reach into the 90's if a little more age brings out some more of the sweetness/cream flavors. I look forward to next years example. A very different cigar than the last one, leading me to believe that last years was a bum example, I don't know if an extra year of age would make that much of a difference.

Again, thanks for putting on this experiment.

[BigSlick]

I'm later than **** on this fellas. Sorry, life has been a little hectic lately. Anyways, here goes....

I went to Riviera Maya, Mexico 2 weeks ago to get married and figured while the review would be late, there would be no better place on earth to review a DC sized cigar. Weather conditions were approx 85 degrees and 80% humidity.

The cigar got a little deformed in shipping. Looks like one of the cigars Smithy would normally smoke.

I clipped the cigar in my hotel room and found the nice nipple under the cap that seems to assoicate itself with a fantastic draw, and it did. Pre-light draw tasted of chocolate liqour.

Upon light up the cigar was vegetal, sweet with honey tastes and a hint of nutmeg.

The first third was mild with tastes of sweet cream, cinnamon and wood with a slight spice on the tongue.

The second third had the taste of sweet cream coming and going. There were hints of earth and toasted marshmallows. It had a burnt wood aftertaste.

Unfortunately, I began having some tunneling issues.

In my experience these types of issues can sometimes lead to an experience devastation, sheer frustration or sometimes just a slight annoyance. Thankfully this cigar only provided slight annoyance. I think the beer and ambiance helped me with my patience levels.

The last third really showed this cigars adolescence(sp?) with some ammonia tastes creeping in. It was still mild with a now medium finish.

Tastes of light floral sweetness, stewed fruit and dark chocolate finished this cigars tastes.

The burn issues finally got the best of me and I layed the cigar to rest.

Overall this cigar impressed me with it's complexity, but the burn issues and ammonia left me with a less than stellar experience. I look forward to seeing the progression in 2010. Thank you Rob and Lisa for letting take part in such a fantastic learning voyage with you. Sorry I was tardy on this.

[Don Candido]

Oh crap, I think I was supposed to review this one too. I was wondering what that SLR was about. Mine is lost in my humidor, but I am sure it is there. I'll get on it...

[Colt45]

Oh crap, I think I was supposed to review this one too. I was wondering what that SLR was about. Mine is lost in my humidor, but I am sure it is there. I'll get on it...

Way to go captain punctuality

[Ginseng]

Don't worry, Don. You're still way ahead of schedule for the 2010 review.

Wilkey

[tigger]

Right on time!

My apologies for being so late in posting this. I smoked the cigar and took notes back in April, and never transcribed them.

Paired with a glass of water

Setting: Sitting on the doorstep - it's a bit cool, but with hints of spring to come.

Cigar

Visually, it's much like last year's. Nicely oily. Far from visually perfect, but pleasant enough.

Construction: Nicely firm, but not No noticeable soft spots.

Aroma at Cold: Despite the oils on the wrapper, it smells muted, with woody/papery scents at both wrapper and foot.

Cold Draw: Tighter than I'd prefer. Much like the scent, flavors at cold are a muted woodiness, with a hint of earth.

First Third

A significant departure from last year, in which the first third was the high point - a muddled, subdued mixture of vegetal, mushroom and wood. Draw opens some in the first third.

Second Third

More of the same, really. with some pepper on the finish. I suspect this cigar has hit a vacuum or "sick" period, as it's no where near as enjoyable as last year's example.

Third Third

Fighting with bitterness, and not very pleasant herbal notes. Let it die with about two inches left.

Conclusion

Construction was pretty good.The initial tightness opened up quickly. But this example tasted mired in youth. Last year's was a much better experience.

My Rating

80, down nine points from last year. While it's better than many cigars out there, it's not very impressive.

It will be very interesting to see what next year brings.

Thanks Rob, Lisa, Smithy and all for the experiment. Looking forward to reading what others' thoughts were.

Tim

Edited to add: Storage was at around 63% RH/65 deg F

[Colt45]

Right on time!

My apologies for being so late in posting this. I smoked the cigar and took notes back in April, and never transcribed them.

You still beat out Don Candido....

[tigger]

You still beat out Don Candido....

Good God. I'm second place at coming in last?

May be time to see the cosmetic surgeon, and have the "L" tattoo removed from my forehead. Maybe that will turn my life around...