Wrapper: Honduran
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 50 Toro
Strength: Medium
Price: $21.00 (Found it for $2 less online)

Two separate releases. One being the Generoso that I am reviewing today.
And the Elegancia. As I noodled around existing reviews, it seems that there was a group hug around the Elegancia…the Generoso? Not so much…Figures.
I know, I know…the price. I bought two singles. The sticks have had nearly 3 months of naked humidor time. I expect miracles on the Euphrates.
I have no reservations free falling seppuku on this cigar if there is a hint that the cigar is a rip off.

BACKGROUND:
The back story seems complex to me so I decided to provide a link to Halfwheel.com so that you may read its story.
The cigar is produced by Plasencia Cigars S.A. in Nicaragua.
From Halfwheel:
“The cigars are limited, though production numbers are not being disclosed. What is being said is that the 2021 batch is being allocated, while the 2022 batch should see expanded availability.”

APPEARANCE:
It is an OK looking cigar. A lot of veins run wild in the streets. The stick is lumpy and bumpy throughout. Seams are invisible. The triple cap is nicely done. The cigar wrapper possesses an oily sheen on the rusty Schwinn bicycle spectrum of colors. The two bands are a nice touch along with the footer band. I stare at the main band long enough…and I’m sure it is pornographic. I see a man swinging his bat at his own elongated mystical penis while he stands in a pool of his own urine. Am I right? And the wrapper is smooth. No tooth. The heft of this Toro is moderate. Actually, feels a little light for my tastes.

SMELL THE GLOVE:
An absolutely Rastafarian display of aromas…lemon cheesecake, floral notes, lots of malt, red pepper, charred oak, cinnamon, cedar, caramel, almonds, and licorice. This is pretty much the standard aromas from cigars with Nicaraguan guts.

The cold draw presents flavors of black licorice, cloves, garlic, ginger, creaminess, almonds, red pepper, cinnamon, almonds and all of the above.

The draw is stupendous…the way I like it, baby. I grab my PerfecDraw adjustment draw tool and place it on a tiny raft and let it sail away on the little creek, amongst the tall pines, where I live. Naturally, I say a few Aramaic prayers and then light it up and wave goodbye. I then run to the end of the creek 15 feet away, blow out the fire, and get my PerfecDraw back.
Still, it is the respect that is important.
This is how Dr. Rod wants to go out…laid out in resplendent trans clothing nailed down to a Walmart floating pool raft, set him on fire while pushing him down the L.A. River. He has asked that I perform a Pagan funeral that includes the eating of raw toad livers and fried camel bunions. Then the downing of ancient peyote tea…a half an hour of vomiting…and then all his relatives dance naked around the faux Rod figure I will make out of Papier Mâché.

FIRST THIRD:
I read Halfwheel for verifiable opinions. I feel they are notoriously tough on cigars but that is due to the massive influx of available cigars to review. If you had the best of the cigar world at your feet, how would you rate a Diesel Rage? Still, I do find some solace that my palate is, at times, very similar. If not identical, at least in the same sinking ship.

Their review of this cigar started out well for Halfwheel and then declined as the cigar could not keep up. I guess I should have warned you before I wrote that last sentence…but I do disagree with the boys every now and then. I’m just more generous with my ratings and I say words like fuck, shit, piss, and tampon. Believe it or not, there are words I refuse to use. Whoda’ thunk it? I will try to use them all in this review…depending on how the review goes.

Instant karma. A very nice complexity is the first thing I notice. Some boldness to send the cigar into gear. Flavors are a bit muddled but at least the stick has flavors, unlike the cigar I reviewed on Monday…20 Acre Farm. It started off no where and ended up William Wallaced.

Savory v. sweet is ambling around trying to stake out territory. I point at my wife sleeping and tell them to start the staking with her. Maybe wrap some garlic cloves around its neck before entering the dark bed chamber.

It provides an initial pleasantness and then gets stuck in its own mire. I taste peanut shells. It stalls out like a 1965 VW camper bus.

Here I go…for $21, this baby should have blown me and found both of us sitting back smoking cigarettes. I have never smoked cigarettes, so the Ferio Tego has to find its own mouth…I’m not helping. I know cigars that are as smart as some folks I know…so it shouldn’t be that hard.

I’m not impressed. When I smoke a cigar priced in the double digits, I expect immediate pleasure zones to be plucked from their hibernation and given a good slap to the upper bicuspid.

I can’t get the rating of 85 that Halfwheel gave it out of my pie shaped head. As always, they are much kinder than me. Oh Lawdy.
I saw a lot more Elegancia reviews than this Bolognica cigar. That should have been my guide. But as I got suckered into spending this much dough on a single cigar, I want to see explosions in the night from the first puff.

Complexity is a joke. (Oh God, here we go again). I really thought this would be a good choice. But I wasn’t going to not review this cigar because if you guys were thinking about it or bought some…no reason for you to smack your dough on the barrel head. And for those that have already bought some, I am sorry. Send me your sticks and I will make an effigy of Stefan Löfven…the Swedish Labor Leader.

Construction ain’t so hot. The burn misbehaves like a $3 cigar.

The flavor tidbits are so minimal that I take the red pill. I will wait 3 minutes and then continue.

Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. Clearly, this cigar needs a year of humidor time because there isn’t a lick of aged tobacco in this toilet paper tube.

You make us spend $21 and then it is up to us to wait it out. Fuck you. (I wonder if I’m still on Plasencia’s Christmas card list?).
Man, Patrick Lagried was really generous.

SECOND THIRD:
Like all reviewers that have some history doing this along with good palates, the blender’s intent is what we look for in a cigar that tells the story. If it is a dead monkey on the dock, it is spat upon and review remorse sets in.

Strength is medium.

It gets a little better with half an inch to go in the first third. Flavors perk up some. I can taste creaminess, black pepper, almonds, and cinnamon buns.

God…I promise I will never again write another review if you make this cigar do something in the second third.

The char line is wonky but does not need a touch up.

In 1965, I was asleep in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem when I was awakened by an explosion in the lobby. Threw me out of bed. Ruined my day.

The all-around balance and flavor points are improving. I sense that the cigar is urging itself to find its complexity. Maybe the second half will redeem this expensive metal dildo.

Yes, it is improving. Halle-fucking-lujah.

But here is the thing…both the Generoso and the Elegancia were released at the same time. Everyone jumped on the Elegancia to review, and it seems that everyone loved it.

Meanwhile, the slate is blank on the Generoso side. If the Elegancia got standing ovations with the same humidor time as the Generoso…. what gives? One cigar needs extensive humidor time while the other tastes great from the get-go. OK. Price the Elegancia at $21 but price the Generoso accordingly at $7.

I absolutely taste blender’s intent now. I reviewed it too early. But why make one blend a stunner and the other a hibernator? Makes no sense.

It is buttery and creamy. The balance has entered the building. Transitions have a long way to go. The finish is merely black pepper. I’d be happy if the spiciness would slow the rig down a bit.

“Dengue Woman Blues” by Jimmy Vaughan. Great tune. Maybe it’s a sign.

The Generoso is coloring inside the lines now. But is it viable as a $21 stick? Fuck no.

Even with many months more of humi time is not going to justify the price point. It doesn’t have the stuff.

The cigar is bland. The mild strength with too much black pepper is a losing combination.

I don’t care if there is a Golden ticket inside, it is an average cigar…nothing more.

I swear to God that my next review will be a great cigar.

Halfway point after 40 minutes.

There is an annoying after taste I cannot identify. Something that is not in the food group.

Man, they had a lot of balls charging this ridiculous price. Smokers remember shit like this. They remember they were ripped off. I despise inconsistency.

The Generoso isn’t bad now. But I want it to blow the roof off. I want to scream to the heavens that I got a free make over on my sack by a plastic surgeon.

It has reached the pinnacle of its capacity: a pleasant cigar. Something we all aspire to.

The stick improves with every puff now. Strength is medium+.
Too much spiciness.

With the second half improving, it tells me the cigar needs a long sleep before smoking. And of course, there is no guarantee that it will ever be worth $21.

I am enjoying the second half out of desperation.

Flavor points are a mish mosh combination that walks the razor blade and could go either way…50/50.

A first sip of water and the black pepper surges. Wonderful.

The cigar has an oddball flavor profile. The complexity is the only thing going for it. Flavors are near exhausted.

“Johnny Be Good” by Chuck Berry. Bopping time. Generoso Be San Quentin D Block.

Did you know that only 43% of people reach 70? If you can muster living this long, stats say you will have no trouble getting to 85. And when focus groups were interrogated, they all said that 70 is really old.

In the 1960’s, the average person only lived to be 39.

How Charlotte and I never got Covid is a baby Jesus miracle.

Wisconsin’s hospitals are full. People like me waiting for surgery are S.O.L. 75% of those with Covid in the hospitals are unvaccinated.

OK. Back to the Generoso.
Strength is medium+.

“Angry Eyes” by Loggins & Messina is playing. Back in the day, I admired the bassist they used. Great player.

LAST THIRD:
I feel duped.
The second half saw a surge that gave me the impression the cigar might have potential. Unfortunately, the blend is in stasis. No brain activity and I want to pull the plugs and let it pass away.

Price matters. I don’t agree with the high falutin’ experts’ opinion that you should judge the cigar on its merits; and not factor in its price.
Wrong.
When a cigar is costly, expectations are high.

I want to put a black hood over this cigar and send it to a black ops holding facility.

So many blenders putting out fantastic blends in the $9-$12 range. This cigar should crawl underneath my bed out of shame.

I believe I’ve eviscerated this stick as far as is tolerable to the reader.

I wish I had made a better decision and bought the Elegancia.
Next review will be more life affirming.

RATING: 70

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS