La Eminencia Fancy Cubanitas

[Vince]

This is my first attempt at a review here, so don't trash me too badly.

I live in Japan. The selection is poor and cigars are ridiculously expensive here. I've only found one good cigar on the Japanese market that is priced reasonably enough to be a worthy daily smoke, La Eminencia Fancy Cubanitas.

La Eminencia is a line of cigars manufactured by Vincent & Tampa Cigar Co. in Ybor City, Florida. La Eminencia was originally a domestic Cuban and is now hand made in Spanish Honduras and Tampa. These 5 1/2 x 44 long filler coronas come in natural and maduro and are sold in bundles of twenty-five for $15; but as the Vincent & Tampa Web site says, "Don't be fooled by our low prices. This is a quality hand made premium cigar." Perhaps "premium" is stretching it, but the Fancy Cubanitas is certainly a quality and tasty smoke.

The first thing you'll notice about the natural's construction is the pigtail cap. The wrapper is oily and has some veins, and the ones I get usually have water spots; it's not a beauty queen, but it is well constructed and has a certain rustic charm. The prelight aroma is sweet and rich and makes my mouth water every time. The cigar takes a clean cut and lights well, burns evenly, and has an easy draw and a firm light gray ash. It starts off gently with a mild core of sweet spice that intensifies to a mild-medium body within the first five or so puffs. From there, it's a consistently yummy treat that lasts right down to the nub. The finish is lightly sweet, spicy, and a bit toasty.

The maduro also has a pigtail cap, is well constructed, and rustic. The prelight aroma is sweet, and the cigar burns as nicely as the natural. From the first puff to the nub it has a consistent mild-medium rich cocoa character that I find very relaxing, and the dark chocolate finish is the most lasting and satisfying I've experienced. In fact, this is the one that changed me from an uncertain dabbler into a confirmed cigar smoker.

I've mentioned the Fancy Cubanitas in other forums, and a couple of smokers with more experience than I said that these sticks benefit very nicely from a year of aging. My batch is about four months old, and they keep getting better. I can't wait for that year to come up.

If I had to describe the Fancy Cubanitas in a phrase, I'd call it a damn good, honest smoke. It's not a top shelf ISOM, but it's plenty savory, fairly complex, and a bargain too. Even when I get back to the States and have a much better selection of cigars at lower prices, I'll still keep a bundle of these in the humidor.