Wrapper: U.S.A. Connecticut River Valley Criollo
Binder: Mexican San Andrés Otapan Negro Último Corte
Filler: Nicaraguan, U.S.A. Pennsylvanian Green River One Sucker Ligero
Size: 5.5 x 54 Robusto
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $25.00
Released in 2018 with only 1000 boxes of 10.
My cigars received 6 years of box aging and 2 months of naked humidor time.
The cap has a fancy Cola de Pescado (Fish Drinking Diet Coke) head with a fancy Pies Tapado (Small NYC Slice) foot.
Made by Willie Herrera at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
DE is very proud of this cigar’s cap and foot. The cap is a combo of a reach-around and a Chinese fan. The raggedy vagina foot is seen everywhere in old Penthouse magazines. So, this folderol brings you a $12 cigar for $25. Thank you, Drew Estate. (See Grumpy Old Man rules for cigar reviewing).
I clip the cap using my skills as a professional Master of Circumcision LLC. The draw is wide open. My PerfecDraw. I got nothing.
A naturally sweet start that is full of promise and hope. Pungent notes of tart citrus, sassafras, black coffee, Corn Nuts, dried figs, fresh plum, and soy sauce.
Aging has been kind. I found no information to lead me to believe that DE produced more than their initial output in 2018. But then if CI sells them, one will think full production is in force. Yet logic would dictate that these cigars would have sold out long ago. Oh no…I’m chasing my tail.
SBC sells both the Robusto and Toro but has a limit of only purchase per household. I guess the $25 price tag made smokers scurry for the hills.
The cigar. Tasty. But then the bottom drops out. It tarts up a little too much. I seek out the blender’s intent and find an empty tent.
In 2019, this blend got mostly rave reviews. Flavors described are all over the place based upon who is reviewing it. I find the cigar is missing real depth of vision. It feels disorganized. With all these wonderful, varied leaves, it should be working together as a nicely oiled machine. Instead, I’m getting an odd bird.
And then I find the solution to the mystery…in 2023, DE found enough tobacco to produce a bit more of this cigar blend. So, it makes sense that my cigars are from that batch and not the initial release. Maybe the leaves found to marshal on were not close enough to the original mix to pull off the crime of the century. Did DE have a big oops and then put the cigars on the market anyway? I’m not smoking the same thing as all the big boys reported. They describe a very rich and complex cigar.
And then an inch and a half in, I’m made a fool. I wish I didn’t write in the moment. Makes me look stupid…stupider. Stream of consciousness doesn’t always work.
The cigar improves by finding its proper depth. A minor burn issue self corrects.
Not any longer, but back in the day, British double deckers (I don’t mean me on the bottom, Sonja in the middle, and Stewart on top) had an open platform on the back of the bus. People would run to catch the bus, fall, and crush their brains on cobblestone. Getting off was fun too. Unless the bus stopped suddenly…I once tried to go upstairs on the narrow spiral stairway carrying my bass guitar in its large case. I got stuck. Screaming by citizens of the crown was nearly as civilized as Stewart asking me if I brought a condom while he was humping and pumping and smoking a cigarette. TA.
I begin to taste crispiness. The buttery edges of French toast’s crust. Baked potato crunchy skin. Brittle vanilla saltwater taffy. Day old Bit-O-Honey.
And then it stalls once again. Damn.
The blender’s intent is a slate wiped clean in mystery. You gotta be a sophisticated wanker to report these things. Guilty as charged. The bottom line is that this is a $25 stick. That’s a lot of dough for us Americans. Not so for the rest of the world. Still, I expect something spectacular for this price point. And don’t get me started how we aren’t supposed to be swayed by the price when we review a cigar. Every damn thing in our lives gets scrutinized by price when we choose or choose not to make a purchase. Why should cigars be different? In the end, you want solid advice, talk to your rabbi. I merely give an opinion…take it or don’t.
So, my blues band was setting up at the blues club in Phoenix. A drunk asked me if we played ‘Free Bird?’ I did a double take and laughed. He then proceeded to climb the stage and attack me. Thank God for alert bouncers.
The stop and go is infuriating. One moment, the cigar tastes just swell. Other moments, not so much. No cohesiveness. Without a purpose. Meandering fool. The cigar, not me. OK. Me.
I wish I could report a swinging dick of a cigar here. The halfway point is upon me. The big review sites are so professional in their reviews. Must be taxing.
DE can make some damn fine cigars. And they also flush the market with pedestrian blends as well as their share of duds. This 10 Aniversario is pedestrian with a wavering and staggering presence. A shame. I betcha a buck this is not the same as the exalted 2018 blend. A hit and a miss.
If you’re going to spend your dough on a Liga Privada, go for the H99. A splendid cigar and which by the way is included in the Katman 2024 Sampler and whose price tag is only 1/3 the cost of the 10 Aniversario. Anything in the Unico series is good.
The Liga Privada line is carried by sponsors Small Batch Cigar (10% off with promo code ‘katman’), Habana Port Cigar Merchants (10% off with promo code ‘kat24’), and Cigar Page.
RATING: 85 Mongo doesn’t like.
Yes, Charlotte and I live in a large apartment complex in Milwaukee. But as this photo taken yesterday from our balcony shows, it could be worse…
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by the Katman 
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