Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Négro
Binder: Nicaraguan Estelí
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican
Size: 5.5 x 56 Robusto Gordo
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $7.99
My cigars have had 3 months of naked humidor time.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
The cigar is dense. The draw is tight. My PerfecDraw finds a single plug and destroys it with one swoosh.
Sweet and spicy start. Notes of potent black pepper. Notes of dried fruit, Worcestershire Sauce, black licorice, almonds, dark chocolate, and espresso.
Strength is immediately medium/full.
I was skeptical. I don’t want to jinx it, but this LGC blend seems to be on to something.
The burn is funky.
Any sense of richness is absent. Zero complexity. Long way to go. I shall hold my criticism until the blend has a fighting chance somewhere in the second half.
With so many boutiques showing seriousness with cigars priced at $10 or under, there is no excuse for catalog sticks to be ordinary. The big companies have the resources. It might have been OK when they sold their cigars for $5…but times have changed.
At 5-1/2” long and with a 56 ring gauge, this is about as close to a 6 x 60 Gordo as they come. 4/64 is only 1/16” difference in diameter.
The momentum at 1-1/2” burned is minimal. In fact, the cigar was better at the start than it is now. It fell off a cliff.
I’ve reviewed only 7 LGC blends over the last 10 years. Most were not very good. I enjoyed the Spanish Press and the Criollo de Oro…that’s about it. The folks at LGC put out subpar cigars because they can, and get away with it.
I spent a year working at a nice cigar lounge in 2021 and 2022. Didn’t meet a single guy or gal that had ever read an online cigar review. This is the target audience for catalog brands. I tried to inform folks but to no avail. It was frustrating.
Some creaminess appears. This helps. Not a lot. The blend is falling into a crevasse of mediocrity.
The burn begins to self-correct.
I am receiving flavors I’ve previously described…but not a lick of complexity to give the cigar something to remember it by.
Strength is full tilt at 2” burned. 35 minutes.
In the late 90’s, I played in a working blues trio. Good band. We never rehearsed once. I got the gig filling in for a disappeared bassist. At that time, Phoenix had a surprisingly healthy and thriving blues scene. It’s gone now.
Last week, I reviewed the Y Panda by Luciano Cigars. Same price neighborhood. Great cigar.
Nothing irritates me more than a boring cigar. Zero forward progression is a mark of a lazy blender. “Yeah, that’s good enough.” It is a gesture of disrespect.
I plan on giving the cigar an opportunity to prove me wrong. An inch into the second half will tell the story.
The strength is out of control.
At 3” burned, there is no sign of life.
If you read cigar reviews, you are a curious smoker who wants to improve your experience. While I feel I’ve squandered my time with this cigar, maybe it is a reassurance that you are on the right track of discovery. Read every reviewer. Never stop introducing yourself to new ideas and new cigars.
This blend is a brain killer with overwrought nicotine and strength. I might have plowed on if the flavor profile was interesting…it is not.
It is an attractive cigar. And a total waste of time.
RATING: 70
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by the Katman 
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