Wrapper: Honduran
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran
Size: 6 x 46 “Prensado-Toro-Box Pressed”
Body: Full
Price: $12.00 MSRP
Today we take a look at the new Eiroa First 20 Years.
Thanks to Miguel Castro for the cigars.
DESCRIPTION:
Debuted at the 2015 IPCPR trade show.
The word “Prensado” translates to compressed or pressed.
There are plenty of good cigar news source web sites that can tell you all you want, and more, about the background of this cigar. I’m too focakte to copy and paste all of it.
Interesting presentation.
The parchment-looking paper is a clever bill board. And slides off easily.
The cigar band is a bit classier than what we’ve become used to with other Eiroa blends. It looks more marketable. Simple, but classy and beautiful.
The wrapper is a mottled, semi-oily coffee bean brown. There is a fine sandiness to the touch but I doubt will show up in my photos.
Seams are very tight. Lots of small veins. And a slight rustic quality in terms of the cigar being a little bent, bumpy, and lumpy. But the stick is rock solid. With almost no give to it.
The soft box press looks a little squished. And the triple cap is applied well but with a couple indentations. But otherwise, looks like a pro.
SIZES AND PRICING:
(Prensado) 6 x 46: $12.00 MSRP
5 x 50 Robusto $12.00 MSRP
6 x 54 Toro $13.00 MSRP
6 x 60 Gordo $14.00 MSRP
AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell cinnamon, chocolate, spice, slight barnyard, coffee, and wood.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell very strong cinnamon, coffee, dark chocolate, powerful spice, cream, nuts, and wood.
The cold draw presents flavors of, once again, strong cinnamon, coffee, dark chocolate, nuts, cream, spice, and cedar.
FIRST THIRD:
The draw is a little tight.
Flavors bolt out of the starting gate: Chocolate, malts, black pepper, nuts of all sorts, creaminess, coffee, generic sweetness, and cedar.
Nice start. It’s not making me wait til the last third to kick in. Its bombs away.
Some lemon citrus appears. Subtle, but a nice tartness to accent the sweetness.
Strength is medium body.
And less than half an inch in, the flavor profile explodes. Creaminess and black pepper vie for first place. Cinnamon is definitely in second place. Chocolate, nuttiness, coffee, cedar, and cedar follow right behind. A bit of spicy nutmeg appears for the first time.
The Eiroa First 20 Years is very chocolaty now. It is so creamy that it tastes like sticking a whipped cream can up to your mouth and letting it coat your throat.
Strength is medium/full body.
I reviewed the Eiroa CBT Maduro back in July of 2014. That blend bowled me over. I reviewed the Aladino by Julio R. Eiroa back in August of 2015 and it didn’t get a good review.
At this point, I am inclined to say that the CBT Maduro was a better blend. I’m not saying that the Eiroa First 20 Years isn’t really as good because I’ve only smoked 1-1/2”. I am saying that the CBT Maduro came out of the gate like Yosemite Sam firing both six shooters.
The Eiroa First 20 Years probably needs a few months of humidor time. But with only 18 days to go, I had to make an executive decision and review a cigar I’ve only had for a week. Some blends explode ROTT. Others need a week. Others need you to forget about them til the 4th of July.
Mind you, the Eiroa First 20 Years is extremely flavorful. A very nice blend. While the MSRP is $12, everyone is selling it for around a buck less. Others are selling it for the maximum retail price. None of the usual suspects of discount online stores carry it yet. Or did and sold out.
SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 23 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Eiroa CBT Maduro is regular production and available everywhere online. The pricing is pretty much the same as the Eiroa First 20 Years. I predict I’m going to urge you to buy the CBT Maduro instead of the Eiroa First 20 Years. But I could be wrong.
Here they are: Creaminess, chocolate, malts (Chocolate Rye Malt, Coffee Malt, and Marris Otter Malt – See Malt Chart), mocha java, black pepper, cinnamon, lemon citrus, cedar, nuts, a rich earthy note, and sweetness.
Halfway point. Smoke time is 40 minutes.
Now as lovely as this cigar is, it is not unique. I like it and am glad I have a couple more to smoke.
There is a whole list of cigars this good on “The Katman’s Best 210 Boutique Brands/Blends in the $6-$11.00+ Range.”
If you want an outstanding maduro for $12, buy the La Hoja Edición Maduro 1962. It is the blend I will hand out to some of the wedding party this May.
Some caramel shows up to take away the word “generic” from sweetness.
The coffee becomes extremely strong now. It moves the chocolate out of second place and the creaminess out of first place. It tastes like an expensive chocolate hard candy. Ever try Lake Champlain coffee candy? Yum.
Construction is good. A wavy burn line. But all in all, a decently constructed cigar.
There is a minimum of transitions. Just enough to keep the Eiroa First 20 Years interesting. But it finds itself short of being complex. The balance is good. The finish could be a lot better.
The Eiroa First 20 Years is cruising on potential only…I hope.
And then as the last third nears, I get a big blast of pepper. And flavors become intense. The cigar finds its complexity. The balance is perfect. And the finish is now long and chewy.
Finally. I’m sure that this is what the Eiroa First 20 Years will taste like from the start in a couple of months.
This is how the Eiroa CBT Maduro tasted from the beginning. Especially, that big pepper bomb blast.
The CBT Maduro had a wider range of flavors.
I find it odd that there is so much similarity between the CBT and the First 20 Years.
The Eiroa First 20 Years was shipped and released mid-November. I found only two reviews of this cigar. Only two Big Guys reviewed it. One gave it a rave review with very little information about flavors. And the other was a short review in which it basically said it was a disappointment. Probably due to the all Honduran leaves used for the blend. I concur.
I think Christian Eiroa should have zigged when he zagged on this blend. It is a very decent smoke but not worth the $12-$14 price range. More on the $8-$9 level if I had to guess blind.
LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 5 minutes.
Strength is barely medium/full.
The complexity helps flesh out the flavor profile. But even with the momentary blasts of greatness, it is not quite deserving of a commemorative title such as the First 20 Years.
For that, this should have been a big meaty cigar blend. Instead, it falls into the same mosh pit as hundreds of other good cigars with similar flavor profiles.
The photo below shows clearly the holographic image imprinted in the cigar band:
There is a long list of flavors that could have made this a unique cigar: fruitiness, different sweetness factors, herbal notes, baking spices, and a host of other elements.
So the narrow parameter of the flavor profile keeps the blend from getting a rave review.
Maybe this is only potential. But the couple reviews gave the cigar a lot more humidor time than I did and nothing changed.
I truly respect the Eiroa family. They were pioneers in the cigar industry. Camacho used to be a great brand. Unfortunately, the online stores selling the old blends are selling them cheap for one reason: They’ve lost their zing.
The last 1-1/2” has a wonderful flavor profile. And super complex components. The other two reviews don’t align with my review any longer. I think all of the reviewers who don’t divulge how long they allowed the cigar to rest before their review does a disservice to their readers.
I’m having trouble keeping the balance of the cigar lit.
I wasn’t rating cigars when I reviewed the Eiroa CBT Maduro. But reading it this morning, I would have rated it a 92. Clearly, that was a better cigar. And still plentiful online.
The Big Guys haven’t reviewed it for two reasons: First, they probably received a box from the manufacturer. And through testing it in the last two months since release decided it wasn’t ready.
Or second, they decided not to review it at all because they didn’t want to write a semi-negative review pissing Christian off. Remember, the big guy reviewers are in the cigar industry. I’m not. So they have to tread carefully. I don’t.
RATING: 88
If you read my dumb ass manifesto yesterday, before I removed it out of embarrassment, you know that I went through hell getting a proper diagnosis for what is happening to my brain. I called the medical center to get an appointment and it took over 4 months. I was told the doc only saw so many Medicare patients per month so I had to wait. The nurse took down my other doctors’ info so they could get all the reports.
Guess what. They failed to get them by the day of my appointment. They had over 4 months to make sure my appointment was relevant.
So Dr. Book had nothing to work with. But still felt comfy making her half assed diagnosis after only 40 minutes of tests and discussion.
The 3rd neurologist I saw gave me a 6 hour test that seemed like children’s quizzes and other simple written and oral tests. I received a long report in the mail and it said I failed all of the tests; dramatically. It concluded something was very wrong.
But Dr. Book never got that report. Plus she never got a secondary report that is made only for the eyes of other doctors which I was not allowed to see.
So, her diagnosis was I was depressed. Yet, I didn’t fit any of the symptoms listed under the definition of depression. I am comfortable with what is happening. Frustrated? Of course. But I don’t have the feeling of hopelessness. I don’t spend all day in bed. I don’t want to commit suicide. And so on.
The day after my appointment, yesterday, I got a call from Dr. Book’s office telling me they got the missing reports and that I need to come back in. So, I go in this Monday. Not 4 months from now.
Could the all-seeing and all-knowing Dr. Book have possibly been wrong with her diagnosis that she freely gave without the test results from that torturous 6 hour test?
Ever since Medicare became my health care provider, I’ve gotten subpar treatment for everything I’ve gone to the doctor for. I swear that the docs take a class that instructs them how to get the Medicare patient out of their sight so they don’t have to treat them to save money.
So, Monday we shall see what we shall see. Charlotte and I had a big fight over whether I should go or not. I want to wash my hands of all the doctors. I don’t trust them. I don’t believe them. And I believe their loyalty is with the medical system and not the patient.
I expect the doc to revise her diagnosis. It’s not depression. Duh.
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by Phil 'Katman' Kohn 
Funny (not really) how similar it sounds to vets dealing with the VA. Sucks.
USPS tracker says my package got delayed.
Keep it smokey.
Martin
I hear ya brother. This quack had my wife convinced I’m suffering from depression.
Now, whoa Nelly. The 6 hour tests show something else.
I hate doctors. And Charlotte told me I was rude to Dr. Book when she told me I only had severe depression. I told her all doctors are quacks. She made a diagnosis with none of the other neurologists’ paper work and test results. How do you tell someone in 40 minutes, that they don’t have Alzheimer’s without extensive study?
And oh yeah, I failed the 15 minutes of tests that Dr. Book’s assistant gave me. Because I’m depressed. Fuck me.
So, now I have Alzheimer’s again. What a fucking whirlwind.
Well …….when you’re older and typing on your cell phone ya hit the wrong button and the post takes off. Damn.
CLE BY EIROA is a great 6 dollar cigar and a puro made in Honduras. This would make a good review for you.Tasty and priced right. Mine is a 5 by 46? Robusto. I guess fate was in my favor when I got to your review of the 20 years cigar. I usually like to let it rest about 2 weeks but what the hell I wanted it today after about a week rest. EIROA got it right with this one and generally I avoid Honduras cigars. We’re having our big 12 inch snowstorm today. I hate winter. Listening to Prarie home companion.
Doctors suck. Don’t you just hate the way they try to act superior and treat one like a child? Best of luck to you from the heart.
TR.
You mean this one? https://kohnhed.com/2012/11/11/cigar-review-cle-corojo/
Or: https://kohnhed.com/2014/08/21/cle-plus-cigar-review/
Or this one? https://kohnhed.com/2012/10/28/cigar-review-cle-cuarenta-by-christian-eiroa/
Wisconsin got missed by all the big storms this season. We got about 5″-6″ a week or so ago but that’s it. I remember in 2009, we got 10 feet. That was a bitch.
What surprised me is that this know it all doc talked my wife (who has a master’s degree in psychology) into believing I am only suffering from depression.
Then I spent the day online researching it all and put together several pages of copy and paste articles, to show Charlotte, that proved doctors have no idea if depression causes dementia. That they are only guessing. Plus the chicken and egg theory…does depression cause dementia or does dementia cause depression? The bottom line is that doctors really have no idea if someone is suffering from a specific dementia until they are dead and do an autopsy.
If I only had decent health care instead of the Big Suck Medicare.
I agree with most of your statement. I get good care but no doctor ever agrees with another’s assessment lol. Frustrating.
Yes Phil! It was the 1st one from 2012. The latest bands no longer say 2012 in red or at all. And mine was 5 not 6 inches. Great review. I think the smaller size tends to be more diverse in flavors or maybe just different leaves than in 2012. Nonetheless a great smoke at a great price and that’s really all anyone wants.
I like how your writing has evolved since 2012. Can’t really say exactly but it has gotten more rounded….more succinct if you will.
I played harmonica on a big outdoor gig with Bo Diddley once. 5000 people on Nantucket island. When he called for a solo he called on me. I’m a man was the song. I believe it was a big hit for him in 1955 the year I was born. I played my ass off and then tried to retire back to the back but he wouldn’t let me and made me come back up and jammed with me on a another run of my previous solo. Pretty much made my life.
The man still could play good at that point though later went downhill. He finished off our concert with a version of the Star Spangled Banner that would have made Hendrix smile.
Got some stories too. But after 31 years I guess that’s to be expected.
Peace. TALL
Not everyone has the same palate. (Have I mentioned that before?) LOL
No review today because I have to go to the doctor this morning. But I lit up another Eiroa First 20 Years to see if it changes my mind.
Nope.
It isn’t bad. It isn’t good. It is in the middle. The beginning is OK. Not much spiciness. Flavors are kept at a bare minimum. Either the cigar needs months of humidor time or its just not a great cigar.
So, once again, I say that folks that find this cigar great ROTT have a palate deficiency.