Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5.75 x 60/54
Strength: Mild/Medium
Price: $13.95 ($12.56 @ Atlantic Cigar)

Photo courtesy of Atlantic Cigar:

I reviewed the Regius Orchant in June 2014 and loved it. You can read it here.
I bought a few from Atlantic Cigar in January…so the stick has 4+ months of naked humidor time. Should be rarin’ to go.

BACKGROUND:
Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A.
From Atlantic Cigar Co.:
“Regius was introduced to the U.S. market in 2013 and prior to that was only distributed in the Europe market. The Regius is made in Nicaragua by Nestor Plasencia, who is one of the best producers of cigars in the world. The original Rare Orchant is a super limited release, a collaboration between Mitchell Orchant, a European cigar retailer and Regius brand owner Akhil Kapacee. After years of blending and making tweaks to the blend, they both achieved what they set out for; a cigar that’s balanced between medium strength and full sweet flavors, which was no easy task. The Regius Small Batch Series The Rare Orchant is an extension of this, Made in small batch productions which helps keep the blend and construction extremely consistent and well-made and ultra-boutique. Each Regius Small Batch line is carefully tweaked to add a slightly different enjoyment to the already exceptional Regius cigar line-up. The Regius cigars are known to be very Cubanesque and a flavor profile that’s more Cuban than Nicaraguan.”

APPEARANCE:
I have lousy luck with preserving pigtails on my cigars. I either destroy it removing the cigar from its cello…or during its hibernation, I am too abrupt in moving cigars around so that they may get their fair share of room and co-mingling in my humidor. That being said, the cigar is pretty slick looking.

Fat perfectos were invented by Oren Famstermann in 1923 while on a trip to Havana. He convinced President Alfredo Zayas that a shape was needed to intrigue and delight the eye of smokers everywhere.

Naturally, Famstermann was imprisoned for 2 years before being hanged in public. But in 1925, President Gerardo Machado came up with the idea that a fat perfecto would be a wonderful addition to the Cuban cigar industry. Of course, that was Oren’s idea…but he was still dead and couldn’t object to not getting credit.

It wasn’t until 1987 that Minister of Tobacco, Felipe Gonzalez-Gonzalez put things into motion that caused the fat perfecto a featured place in all smokers’ hearts.

OK. So how does it look? Gorgeous George of course. A geometrically bulbous work of art. Some veins sit atop the wrapper but do not discourage my intent. Seams are as tight as a Norwegian clam. Under light, the brown penny wrapper glistens with oils from places as far away as Omaha and the Sudetenland. Whisps of dark streaks slather up and down the stick like a swami playing with his pet python. Naturally, this was done by the swami in full monty mode.

The stick is firm without hard or soft spots. The weight feels good. The double cigar bands are ocularly pleasing.

SMELL THE GLOVE:
Gentle aromas of dark chocolate, floral, raisins, creamy vanilla, cedar, some malt, and butter.
The cold draw presents flavors of dark chocolate, black pepper, vanilla, almonds, dried fruit, cedar, and buttery popcorn.

The cold draw is a tad loose for my tastes. I remove my PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool from my tight grasp and perform an Arabesque ballet move…dropping it, and now I can’t find it.

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
Now this baby is described as mild in a host of places. I don’t care for mild strength cigars. They are famously known for creaminess and that’s it. I shall put the screws to this blend and see if its tiny cajones can stir up some passion.

Turns out there is a plug in the cigar band area of the cigar. Out comes my PerfecDraw to the rescue. (I found it…it had rolled underneath a pile of my 8 track tapes).

It starts off with a slow acknowledgement that it is indeed a cigar. But improvement kicks in after a couple minutes and notes of dark cocoa, creaminess, black pepper, and sweet butter enter my bloodstream.

The strength is absolutely mild. I hate when that happens.

A lovely sweetness gathered from the essences of lemon custard, PB&J, and teriyaki give the character a bit of hope.
Complexity begins to round the troops up and form a circle around the parabolic shape.

Old fashioned salted pretzel enters the arena of gladiators and fights for its own survival.

I don’t understand the intent of creating a mild strength blend. Mild is for newbies and golfers who know no better. This is why God invented Macanudo.

The char line is a bit wonky. May have to pounce with my lighter if it continues.

With 1-1/2” burned, the blend is a big yawn…there goes my Atlantic Cigar sponsorship.

Generally speaking, Regius has put out some very nice blends over the years. The blender must have wanted to design a cigar his 10-year-old son could smoke.

If you love mild strength cigars, you can throw away your Gurkhas and Macanudos. This Regius is the real deal.

Transitions are totally absent. The finish is so quiet that I can hear it breathing. There is no forward momentum. Bummer. Gotta sneak Sally through the alley.

And then…some serious character breaks on through. It whispers to me: “Shut the fuck up and just hang on you dumbshit.”

A scoche of complexity takes over for the lack of flavor points. My palate smiles.
I begin to smack my lips…a good sign.
My first sip of water and flavors disperse throughout my mouth in a duck and cover sequence.

Disparate flavors emerge from the dark morass. The aforementioned are in place while the tobacco’s intent is seen by me as the cavalry coming to the rescue.

There is a scene in the 1945 film, “They Were Expendable” in which John Wayne heads out in his PT Boat to reconnoiter the enemy’s position. When he returns and he jumps off the docking boat, a sailor asks him: “Any dope sir?” Wayne responds: “No dope, son.” I was only 14 in 1945 and I was bummed for his crew.

Lemony, buttery, creamy, vanilla laden, with tiny hints of black pepper and chocolate permeate the cigar’s intent.

Jesus, I’m beginning to like this baby. By baby, I mean cigar. I’m going to my death speaking in 60-year-old cliches. Every time I say, Okie Doke, people point and laugh.

Still, the character of the cigar improves due to its mild complexity. It doesn’t sway me to think about giving up. I’m still invested.

The halfway point is where the sweet spot lurks. Much better than I expected from the first half. It goes from a 98lb weakling into a Charles Atlas kind of guy. I used the term ‘guy’ because female cigars do not have pigtails. Although a case could be made that little girls do have pigtails. I’m confused.

No shit. I am in the Xander Zone. I am enjoying this trope. It did mess with my brain at the start, but the blend is now filling out and going tangential. Still mild as a Tylenol, but flavors spread out and find themselves properly perceived.

So, is 4 months of humi time insufficient? Or is the cigar a thing of beauty only a 27-handicap golfer will enjoy?

The sweet spot continues and there is life, I tell you…there is life!
A very tasty little bugger once I got through the detritus of the first half. One of my grandsons starts kindergarten in the Fall. He is in for a rude awakening if he doesn’t stop picking his nose and eating his boogers. His parents are trying out an electric dog collar to see if that works.

I cannot believe I am saying this…the cigar is becoming an excellent blend. Still mild as my first wife’s orgasms, but it does root around in a pool of its own making.
Night and day. I had no hope for this cigar. Never give up hope eternal.

The stick continues to improve. Transitions begin. The finish is a nice mixture of good tobacco with hints of indiscriminate flavor points.

The balance and character improve exponentially. I just wish this could have shown up at the start of the cigar.
We now have medium strength. A helpful kick in the arse.
Savory v. sweet is 50/50.

I would classify this blend as a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde approach.
The second half is terrific. The first half is blah.

I nub it. Surprise, surprise.
You can find this cigar available at Atlantic Cigar Co. Tell them I sent you.

RATING: 87

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS