Date Added: Tuesday 07 June, 2016
by Staff
Regular price: £41.49
Special price: £32.99
Reviewed by Chuck Vaughan-Lloyd (May 2004)
Length 5 1/2" x 52 ring gauge EAR October 2002 I had a unique opportunity last night to enjoy a totally new Cuban Cigar for my palate. A very good friend and True Lover of the Habanos Leaf sent me one of these to try with the simple request that I write a short review of my tasting notes.
Let me say that those of you that do not have a MRN Book, that this cigar is a relative new introduction onto the Habanos scene and thus no preconceived ideas could be made as to what to expect. This line was launched in Havana in 1999. This is a completely new brand, not one that has been resurrected.
The Belicoso had a smooth light chocolate brown wrapper, which I could not find any veins. It had a solid firm feel as I felt it and thought to myself that this cigar had been kept properly. I had not really let it rest much from its journey, but knew that my friend has always maintained his humidors extremely well. I cut the tip about ¼ down and tried a pre-draw and tasted a fine robust tobacco flavor. The foot toasted well and as I took the first draw of rich smoke into my mouth I immediately knew that this was going to be quite a cigar!
I should back up just a bit and let you know that I was sitting at one of my favorite Cigar Bars (Famous Cigars & Elite Jazz) listening to a very nice acoustic Jazz band. I had the pleasure of enjoying a few rum and cokes while basking in the flavors of this cigar.
I would describe the profile as having rich woody flavors with a definite strong tobacco taste. The cigar had nice complexities with hints of floral and mild citrus notes. I would describe this cigar as being full bodied. It displayed strong Habanos tobacco flavors throughout the entire cigar while at the same time it maintained a spiciness that was difficult to describe. Toward the end I noticed heavy notes of rich earthiness along with the woody flavors. The San Cristobal maintained an excellent burn and I made a mental note that it burned very slow while never needing a touchup. Overall it was a nicely flavored aromatic cigar with many characteristics of wood, floral, spice and earth. It was balanced and left a very nice aftertaste. I remember that it was my belief that long-term aging would bring out the subtle complexities even more.
14/15 APPEARANCE AND CONSTRUCTION
22/25 FLAVOR
22/25 SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS
32/35 OVERALL IMPRESSION
Total Score: 90
This is an excellent cigar, and IMHO I enjoyed it much more than any of the recent Montecristo # 2's I've had over the past year. It should be known better, as it really caught my attention as a truly great cigar.
San Cristobal Wood and tobacco.....YES !!
Spicy....YES !!
Descriptions for construction, draw, burn, taste situation etc....this is more like it. I have smoked more than a few of these....and it's described perfectly. Makes me want to light another......
Score: 8/10
Reviewed by Kevin R
In my opinion this is what a review should be, concise enough without being abrupt, long enough to be informative, sets the scene and background, mentions previous smokes as comparisons. Good work, a gold star - and I even agree about the cigar.
Score: 9.5/10
Reviewed by Richard Whitwell
Excellent review from start to finish...very impressive.
9/10
