Wrapper: USA Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Binder: Cuban seed Habano
Filler: Triple Ligero (Piloto Cubano, Olor Dominicano, and Nicaraguan)
Size: 6 x 52 Toro
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $6.45

While it is nice to see reasonably priced and good cigars rounding the $10 mark, if you look around, there are even more reasonable cigars that are just fine for one of your regular go-to’s. In fact, dear readers, if you come upon something that’s good and cheap, let me know and I will try to get hold of some for review.

I bought a fiver of these cigars at the beginning of October…hence the stick has 5 months humi time. In the first couple of months, I was so sure I wanted to review this blend…but I was patient and thought the cigar deserved to take a bow.

I only found one place online to buy the Flatbed catalog…Flatbed Cigars. Which tells me that this cigar finds its place most often found in B&M’s.

I found 23 different blends available from Flatbed on their site.
Even though I’ve listed 5 sizes, the website only has three sizes in stock. 1) Toro 2) Robusto 3) Torpedo. But take a look around their website. Lots to look at. And prices are more than reasonable.

BACKGROUND:
From Flatbed Cigars:
“Although we are based here (Bucks County, PA), our factory is in the Dominican Republic. With more than 60 years of combined experience – the art of aging, blending, and rolling continues in our modest factory.

“GROWN IN THE USA! Low and slow…the only way to ferment a Pennsylvania Broadleaf to taste like ours. If you like a full bodied, medium-strong cigar with an incredible taste, you must try Green. She’s a beauty that does the Pennsylvania cigar history proud. Just look at the depth of the marbling. It is fantastic! A triple Ligero (Piloto Cubano, Olor Dominicano, and Nicaragua) wrapped in the most beautiful PA Broadleaf you will find. The Binder is a Habano (Cuban seed) grown in the Dominican Republic. A Full-bodied cigar that is medium to strong.”

They have an interesting background so I will provide a link here.

SIZES AND PRICING:
Robusto 5×50 $5.70
Wild Thing 6×60 $8.25
Toro 6×52 $6.45
Torpedo 6×52 $6.45
Green 560 5 x 60 $7.75

APPEARANCE:
This baby is a rough cobb if I ever saw one. It is full of veins the size of fallen trees in the Amazon jungle. The seams are clear to see and not tight at all. The wrapper’s hue is that of unpolished bronze. I can’t tell if it has two or three caps. Not a heavy feeling cigar. Lastly, it has a nice amount of tooth.

SMELL THE GLOVE:
Aromas are faint. This is what my schnoz can pick up: dark chocolate, black pepper, espresso, cedar, and barnyard.
The cold draw presents flavors of black pepper, peppermint, celery, dark cocoa, espresso, nutty, cedar, and burning wood.

The draw is a bit more open than I prefer but it works so no worries. I place my PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool next to the cylinder containing my father’s head in a cryogenic state. I really hope opening and closing it all the time doesn’t affect my dad’s head when it is time to return as a zombie. The joke will be on him when he is released by doctors in 2036…Covid will have multiplied in variants until we are all turned into barnyard critters that sniff each other constantly. I will be long dead by then, so I don’t give a fuck.

FIRST THIRD:
First puffs, after waving my hands in the air to get rid of all that smoke, is pretty damn tasty.

There is initial complexity. Flavors waste no time: citrus, mesquite wood, red pepper, Cap’n Crunch, a big heaping of malt, cedar, a tiny bit of licorice, almonds, and chile.

The subtleties and nuances line up immediately as if they plan on performing “A Chorus Line.”

Nicely well-rounded so early that I have high hopes.

Now I bought a fiver and tried one after a month. Nope. Snake eyes. I tried again a month later. Nope. Proctology exam gone bad. I patiently waited 5 months and that’s just the story, Gene. You buy some…you better wait.

The wait was worth it. An early version of a tasty cigar. A peak into the girl’s locker room. And then showing off your breasts to the high wire act before they go on.

This is a fucking lovely cigar. I mean it. And if I’m lying…well, God can strike me down and force me to speak only in tongues…Din fleck Gorrrr eeny meeny labia pontister Jesus waw a wa tiny yarmulke raew ding a ling seeben excuse me…I had to make number 2.

Where was I?
Strength is a solid medium.

The prior one I smoked, that was ready for the William Wallace treatment, showed itself as a blend whose sum is greater than its parts. Flavors lay in the background driving the car with their feet.
The savory v. sweet factor is on point.

At 1-1/2” burned, a depth kicks in that is like the kid who fell down the well in Iowa in 1947. He was pulled out after a 75-hour battle. He is now a state senator in Nebraska.

Truly. I am digging this cigar. The whole schlimazel is way ahead of any $6 cigar I’ve smoked.

SECOND THIRD:
The cigar is a bit under filled. I got through the first third in nearly 20 minutes. An hour-long Toro is about 30 minutes shy of a well packed cigar. Still, being able to smoke the pretzel logic in that shorter time span makes it an easy choice when you have a schedule. Me? I have no schedules. I sit here and wait for my wife to ask for hot monkey sex. I’ve been sitting in the same place for 3 years. I gotta come up with a better plan.

This cigar is way more complicated than the price point would lead you to guess.

It is a beer barrel of a cigar in that the malt and woodiness are married not to each other, but neither has a problem with cheating.

I cannot repeat this enough,,,great depth of character. I was totally surprised when I tried one two days ago. How can this be? Why can’t interest rates be controlled by mental patients undergoing electro-shock therapy? Nothing makes sense.

Just got back from Walgreens for a covid test. I don’t feel well but my sinuses are not affected. Uh-oh. Still, I’m boostered so what is the worse than can happen? Speaking in tongues? That I can’t go out in the -5 Milwaukee weather and romp? Nothing makes sense.

Without hitting the halfway point yet, I can heartily suggest you take a look at Flatbed cigars and maybe get this stick, if nothing else. You just gotta be patient.

Coffee with cream stands out for the first time. Up to now, the stick has been devoid of any creaminess. This addition gives the cigar a platform to explain why the moon landing was a hoax. I never said this cigar was smart.

Halfway point is hovering.
30 minutes.
Strength approaches medium/full.

Easy going blend that seems to want to please. Very needy stick. Like my cousin, Bruce. Spare change? I can’t afford my ED meds. I just eat SpaghettiOs.

I remove the cigar band and half the wrapper comes off in the process. No issues here. I grab my PerfecRepair cigar glue, and the cigar begs for forgiveness. If I can speak in tongues, I can certainly speak cigar.

Not a very spicy cigar. My tongue tingles from red pepper but the spice knows its place and does not disrupt the flow of the cigar.
Solid medium/full now.

The development of the cigar’s character is always moving forward, like a shark.

Flavors decide it is time to do the cha cha. Fatter notes of chocolate, creaminess, espresso, almonds, earth, wind, and leather, the red pepper lies on the tip of my tongue to give the cigar a proper kick in the arse.

LAST THIRD:
The finish has layered flavors that cause involuntary lip smacking.
Transitions are in full steam ahead mode.
Nothing boring about this blend.

“Crossroads” by Cream. McCartney taught me to be melodic, but Jack Bruce taught me to woodshed the hell out of a tune.

A sip of water and flavors blitz my palate. There is a fire below.
The blend becomes very intense. An assault on Omaha Beach.

I cannot think of a better $6-$7 cigar. Although, Atlantic Cigar still has a supply of those Oliva Master Blends 3 Maduro. At $4, they take the cake.

Not a lick of harshness or bitterness. The dude abides.

Chocolate covered raisins makes a nice entrance. There is a smokiness reminiscent of a campfire. The almonds become a sweet marzipan. The creaminess coats everything with a protective seal. Which is odd because seals prefer to hump in the manner of tortoises. The noise sounds like Billy Graham sermonizing.

There is no let up. Depth perceives itself with the fear of walking into the bathroom and seeing a red rubber bag and hose hanging from the shower rod. Only Covid is capable of providing that sentiment.

The Panacea PA Broadleaf is a cigar for all seasons. As I near the end, the cigar has no intent of giving up the ghost.

If you do purchase some Flatbed cigars on their website, please tell them in the comments section during checkout: Katman sent me. Thanks

RATING: 91

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS