Cigar Name: Los Blancos Premiere Connecticut Shade Robusto (5 x 52)

Cigar Description: Nicaraguan Connecticut Shade Wrapper around Nicaraguan Filler

Cigar Strength: Mild-Medium

Review of the Cigar itself: I do like trying new cigars or at least, things I haven’t tried before. When I saw the four pack of Los Blancos on Famous, I figured why not and splurged on them. I figured I could do a review on each, starting with the mild (Connecticut, then Sumatra and Maduro) and finishing off with the full (Criollo). As I eyed the oily wrapper, I could see the fine line of it but barely. This was a well-wrapped cigar with minimal veins and blemishes on the body of the cigar. Near the head, however, I could feel a sharper, prominent vein under the wrapper. Hopefully this won’t interfere with the cigar itself. Punching the cigar resulted in just a small circle of the cap coming off and keeping the cigar intact. A good start to say the least.

I decided to pair up this “white” with a dark: a Yuengling Traditional Lager. First draws after lighting the cigar were a bit tight but this was resolved with a little rolling of the head. This is definitely a mild cigar. The aroma was a mild burning wood scent. It didn’t give off a lot of smoke and the bare amount it did, dissipated quickly, almost as if it was an inconvenience to be around. The cigar burned fairly straight and would occasionally correct itself if it did happen to stray here and there. As I continued through the first third, I got the distinctive taste sensation of … well.. red wine. It lasted briefly but it was that nice combo of dry and sweet at the same time.

The ash remained solid as long as I let it be. It also had a peculiar box-like shape to it. I suspect it may have been slightly packed too tight at one point but it didn’t prevent the nice roasted wood taste from coming through. Eventually, thought, the ash had enough and decided to jump. Thankfully, it landed on a clear patch on my desk and was easy enough to clean up. It was my own ego and pride, attempting to get as long as I could, that caused that. In the end it was better since it meant I wouldn’t have to worry about it as I went into the middle portion of the cigar. I noticed that as I got into the second portion I got whiffs of roasted peanut.

Dang.

I knew I should have picked up some today. Getting the body band off was just as easy as the foot band. Both were had enough glue to keep them in place but not hold on to dear life onto the cigar. The nutty taste remained a constant throughout the cigar although it did fade as I got into the last third. By then the cigar had gotten very mild but the odor remained a nice roasted nut scent throughout. Made for a very pleasant evening while I was breaking ice for my girlfriend (she had a tooth extracted today and wasn’t a happy camper by this evening).

Enjoyed with: water and Yeungling Traditional Lager

Smoke time: approximately 80 minutes

Final Review Rating: 8.4/10