Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano (Jalapa)
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Colombian Viso, Nicaraguan Viso Jalapa, Nicaraguan Ligero Esteli, Honduran Ligero
Size: 4.5 x 50 “Robusto”
Body: Medium
Price: $7.00
I could only garner a small bit of info on these cigars. First, DeSiena’s are made by Nestor Plasencia in his factory in Danli, Honduras.
I bought a 5 pack from Cigar Federation. Probably the best source for everything cigars.
The Cigar Federation Store says this about the brand:
“The DeSiena is a boutique cigar made by Alec Bradley which is medium in body, color, price, but heavy on excellence. DeSiena 312 is at a great price point.”
From the DeSiena web site:
“In 2011 after 20 years in the cigar business it was time for a new challenge. The goal was to create the finest of boutique cigar brands. A trip was taken to the Tobacos de Oriente factory in Danli Honduras. Numerous cigars were smoked. A batch was discovered vividly marked “312”. After enjoying several it all made sense, a number that has much significance. My son was born in March and my daughter in December. Partnering with the Placensia cigar factory in Honduras the cigar was re blended several times over a two year period. The DeSiena 312 was proudly launched in April of 2013.”
The cigars come in five sizes: 4.5 x 52, 5.625 x 46, 6.5 x 54, 6 x 60, and 7 x 54. Prices range from $7-$9 per stick depending on size.
It also appears, according to the DeSiena web site, that they are sold in only two B & M’s in New York and the online portion is picked up by Cigar Federation.
I have to admit that the filler is rather impressive. So let’s see if the cigar manages to live up to its PR.
Construction is good with mostly tight seams and loads of big veins. Small ones too. The stick is jam packed with tobacco but no hard spots. The dark brown wrapper has some reddish tinge to it. It appears to have a single cap but expertly crafted.
There is a modicum of oiliness and some toothiness to the touch.
I clip the cap and find aromas of leather, earthiness, wood, spice and barnyard.
Time to light up.
For some reason, the ring gauge seems bigger than 50. First flavors are sweetness and floral notes. Spice arrives quickly after the first few puffs in the form of red pepper.
I get a small dose of cocoa. And a lot of earthiness in the tobacco.
Creaminess shows up early before I’ve hit the half inch mark.
Caramel joins the troupe. Clearly, this flavor profile wastes no time in gettin’ down. (An old Hippie term from an old Hippie)
There is an elusive flavor that emits from the smoke at the half inch point. Smacking my lips and retro haling does not remove the cone of silence.
The char line is doing very well. Only the slightest bit wavy but of absolutely no concern. The ash is a mixture of white, gray and black.
I shall explain what is going on in inches rather than thirds due to the shortness of the stick.
A crack develops right on the front of the cigar. I grab my Kingpin glue and with one drop, fix it. And the repair is a success. The trick with this viscous glue is to place one single drop in the furthest point the bottle neck will reach and carefully close the wrapper trying to avoid any glue from shmearing the wrapper. If you do it right, you won’t get any wrinkles on the wrapper from too much liquid. You should try this stuff. A couple bucks a bottle and it lasts for a year. Note: it does come in flavors but those aromas and flavors completely disappear once dry. It has no effect on the taste of your cigar.
I measure the cigar and it is NOT 4-1/2” long. It is only 4-1/8” long. I measure the three I have left and they vary from 4-1/4’”-4-3/8” long. None makes the advertised cut. Odd.
Anyway, I’ve smoked ¾” and have a little over 3” to go.
The cigar picks up the pace at this point. So does the red pepper. Here are the flavors, in order: Earthiness, spice, creaminess, cocoa, sweetness, wood, and something fruity…like me.
2-3/4” to go. While this is not an expensive cigar, I do expect better quality control on this length thing. You say it is 4-1/2” long then it damn better be 4-1/2” long. Or within an within an eighth of an inch at least.
The strength is a solid medium body.
This is a very pleasant cigar. But it is not bowling me over. I had one the other night and it seemed to have more oomph than this one. Maybe as I get down a bit further, it will shine for me.
To be fair, all of the sticks I’ve gotten from Cigar Federation are so good that most of them are ready to go within a week of humidor time; or less.
At the very least, I taste its potential. And I approve of where this stick is heading in the flavor department. Construction is good. The char line is excellent. The cap is behaving like a champ.
At the 2-1/2” to go mark, the cigar breaks free of its constraints and the flavors begin their peacock strut.
Complexity shows itself for the first time. Flavors hunker down about to make that leap to flavor bomb status.
Some vanilla bean appears giving a nice counterpart to the sweetness and cocoa and creaminess.
Moments away from the big bomb.
The DeSiena web site is bereft of much info. This is their only blend. And no mention of newer ones coming to the fold.
Bam! We have a flavor bomb at just under the 2-1/2” to go mark. Now we’re talking, baby.
Flavors explode on my palate. Creaminess leads the pack with: red pepper, sweetness, cocoa, caramel, wood, earthiness, vanilla, and raisins.
The cigar band is released from its bondage like a champ.
I expect that more humidor time will bring the start of the flavor bomb experience much closer to the 1” left to go mark.
With 2” to go, the cigar is screaming laughter. It is so smooth and balanced. With a nice long finish. The buttery creaminess, sweetness, cocoa, vanilla, and raisin make for a great taste experience.
The strength moves to medium/full and a bit of nicotine shows up.
One more cigar I highly recommend that came from the Cigar Federation Store.
I am amazed at the consistency of the cigars for sale on their web site. Everyone a winner.
And now for something completely different:
1975
We were playing the Cambridge Corn Exchange. An ancient building with a giant stage. No seats. Everyone stood. It was filled to capacity that night with at least a couple thousand folks. There was no barrier between the edge of the stage and the audience. This would end up causing some poor soul his life.
Midway through our set, a biker gang shows up and push their way to the front of the stage. Drunk as skunks.
One little fucker decided to really upset the rhythm of the night. These guys were there to make trouble and nothing else.
Darryl had a whole array of foot pedals he used for his violin. And they were right near the front of the stage.
This one idiot biker starts pounding the foot pedals like a crazy man affecting the sound of the violin radically. Darryl leaned over and yelled at him to stop.
This only made things worse.
The biker continued on his quest to fuck up everyone’s night.
Darryl took his violin bow and slammed the guy in the side of the head. It stunned the biker for a moment and then he pulled out a large hunting knife.
He began waving it around. Darryl had stopped playing and all the band’s attention was focused at the brouhaha.
Roadies ran out to calm things down to no avail.
Some poor young kid had no idea what was going on and was bopping to the music. And standing two people away from the knife wielding biker.
I heard the biker yell, “I’m going to kill you!!”
And with that, he plunged the hunting knife into the back of that poor kid.
The kid dropped like a sack of potatoes. Screams were everywhere. The band stopped playing and rushed over. The roadies ordered us to go back to the dressing room. Including Darryl.
In the dressing room, Darryl was pacing like a caged lion. Yelling how he was going to go back out there and kick some ass. Which was a complete joke as Darryl was maybe 5’-8 and slim with no muscle tone.
He would have gotten his own arse handed back to him in a burlap sack.
The roadies, all 12 of them, took the bikers down. Turns out there were only 7-8 bikers. And get this…they rode scooters.! LOL!
I think I may have seen one Harley the whole time I lived in England and toured Europe.
The police arrived in force along with an ambulance. Our trusted roadie, Beric Wickens, came into the dressing room to update us. He had to stop Darryl from leaving the dressing room…which was no trouble as Beric was 6’-3 and weighed 270lbs.
We didn’t leave until the coppers had arrested all of the bikers and the crowd left.
We went to the local constabulary and gave our statements. And while doing that, we got word that the poor boy died of his wounds.
We were heartbroken. This kid was a big fan and had paid a few quid to come see us. He couldn’t have been older than his early 20’s.
We were in complete shock. A local radio station came by the police station and interviewed us. Our chick singer was beside herself and couldn’t stop crying.
We had another gig the next night and we played it. But there was no joy. Just guilt.
Darryl felt guilty because he wondered if he hadn’t hit the asshole with his bow; maybe the kid would be OK.
Altamont wasn’t that long ago and it haunted us.
Funny thing. I can’t remember the kid’s name.
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Great write up on the Cigar and I appreciate the story. Not all our experiences are good but they are part of our story, thank you for sharing.
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