Wrapper: Nicaraguan Cuban Seed
Binder: Mexican
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican
Size: 6 x 52 “Toro”
Body: Medium
Price: $6.00

For some reason, the Holts photo makes the cigar look like a maduro. This is no maduro..and it doesn’t come in maduro.

Patel is now a huge industry, like U.S. Steel. Or IBM. He is the number one maker of house cigars, with his name attached, for every online cigar store in the world. He cranks out blends like a Hostess factory cranks out Twinkies.

Most of his cigars are definitely old school approaches to cigar making. His cigars take forever to mature in your humidor.
If you have the patience to allow his cigars to rest for 6 months, you will find that most of his cigars are excellent.

Before going into the cigar biz, he was an entertainment lawyer in Hollywood. Having been in the music biz in my youth, I ran across more than my share of those guys. If ever there were vampires on earth, they showed up in the guise of entertainment law. But then, I don’t like lawyers in general. My apologies to any lawyer reading this.

His ultimate goal is, not to provide you with the best cigars possible, but rather; to produce as many cigars as possible. Using every little cigar blender in Central America to pump out cigars for him to be used as house cigars for his clients.
I’ve had this cigar a month. So I don’t expect much. Only Holts Cigars carry them. It is their house cigar. And Holts is not picky about the myriad of unknown brands that they carry that are cheap and mediocre. They are the Thompson Cigars of the bucks up set. Plus Holts is not what I call a cutting edge kind of store. They carry the same stuff you can get in your average B & M. They own Ashton Cigars and if you’ve gotten one of their catalogs, you’ll see that there is a lot of ink given over to Ashton cigars. Ashton is OK. But they are overpriced. I’ve had them all and thought I could do better with my dough.

Construction is OK. There are several soft spots throughout the cigar. It does not feel like a stick packed full of tobacco. The Nic wrapper is a tawny brown with lots of veins. Seams are tight. And the cap is well done. There is a nice oily sheen. And the wrapper is very smooth.The double cigar bands are attractive with that metallic green ocean color. I suppose the name refers to the company being in Florida and near the water. Actually, the cigar looks like a fish stick. Growing up, once a week, my mother fed us those horrible things. Thank God for tartar sauce.

I clip the cap to find aromas of leather, earthiness, spice, and wood.

Time to light up. Here is hoping I am delightfully surprised.

The first puffs are full of cocoa, earth and a tiny bit of black pepper. A natural sweetness appears. The draw is good and the char line is a bit wavy. The cigar produces an extraordinary amount of smoke.

Half an inch in, red pepper enters the picture. Along with some cedar and leather. The cigar is very pleasant at this point. I am surprised. Could it be that I am full of shit?

The cigar is starting out flavorful with the Nicaraguan regulars. The cigar was soft in spots before I lit up; now, those spots are very spongy.

The one inch mark sees the flavor profile of spice, cocoa, cedar, leather, and earth seek loftier heights. More potent.
Almost near the end of the first third when some creaminess appears. It adds a nice counterpoint to the other flavors which are all still there and climbing.

Clearly, I have to eat my words on this particular Patel stick. Is this one of his New Breed-like cigars? I love the 15th Anniversary and the Burn. But I don’t have the patience to wait on the maturing of his other sticks. But this stick has only one month on it and it is very good.

So Holts, shame on me.

The second third begins with an explosion of flavor and spiciness. An official flavor bomb. At $6 a stick, this is a good deal and in the right price range.

I like this cigar. I like it more than his better known cigars. I betcha’ a buck that Holts really had a hand in the blending operation.

I hit the halfway mark and the cigar is sublime. The strength is medium. And has been from the start. The balance is well done and it has a nice long finish. The burn line continues to be wavy but nothing that would require a touch up.

Back to business. The cigar is smooth as silk. I would like to see more strength because that’s my preference, but I would not hesitate in buying a box of these cigars. It is a great cigar for those who don’t like strong cigars. There is no nicotine buzz, no overpowering strength. A good cigar for newbies and aficionados alike.

Wally. Are you listening?

Holts has this gimmick called “Six Packs to Go.” You get quite the choice of cigars in this category; and often, the price is lower than what it would cost to buy a box. In fact, you can buy six robustos, 5.5 x 50 for $20. That’s $3.33 each.

Almost half price from their retail price. That’s a deal. A retail box goes for $120. So if you buy three of these 6 packs, you are basically getting a box for $60. Can’t complain about that. Kudos, Holts.

I begin the last third. The strength begins to stretch its legs and hits a higher medium strength. I’m feeling the nicotine now. I remove the secondary band easily.

The cigar, at this point, finds its complexity as the flavors morph. The spiciness has ratcheted down a bit. Leaving a compendium of creaminess, cocoa, sweetness, cedar and leather. I didn’t find any dried fruit component so commonly found in Nicaraguan leaves.

I smoked the Alec Bradley Black Market yesterday which goes for a buck more. It doesn’t come close to the character of this $6 stick. Or should I say $3 stick?

This cigar is a great day starter. I hope that as Patel brings out new blends he pays attention to what is going on around him as the New Breed blenders put out magnificent cigars with huge flavor profiles. And sticks that don’t take months to mature.

With only a couple inches to go, the cigar is on cruise control. In a good way. The only change is that its complexity becomes more intense. Making the flavors really blossom.

I definitely recommend this cigar. Takes only a month to mature. A flavor bomb. Complex. Well balanced and long finish. And very inexpensive.

This cigar has been available for about two years. I see them in every Holts catalog. If I were Holts, I would use the PR machine to really highlight the fact this is a different breed from other Patel blends. Of course, that would have to be done very delicately. But the cigar is worthy of high praise and it should reflect this in their catalog.

The cigar finishes out grandly. None of the flavors are diminished. It doesn’t become harsh or bitter. And is certainly nub quality.

Here is the link for the 6 Packs to Go: http://www.holts.com/category.html?id=201748

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS