Cigar Weekly

jazznut · 08-12-2005, 08:03 PM

Appetizer?

Sancho Panza Belicosos

Country of fabrication: Cuba
Packaging: Plain dress box containing 25 banded cigars
Dimensions of cigar: 5.5 inches by 52 ring gauge
Name of vitola: Campanas
Box code: SCO JUL02
Factory: La Habana
Date smoked: Friday August 12th, 2005

Setting:

An uninterrupted evening in the upstairs study.

Accompanying drink:

Gonzalez Byass Noe Pedro Ximénez Muy Viejo 30 Year Old Sherry – 15.5%ABV. This impenetrably dark brown Spanish elixir, which surely counts amongst the most viscous and decadent of dessert wines, provided an appropriate flavour foil to the Belicosos.

The cigar:

Texture of capa: Somewhat creased and crinkled in places with a trio of quite prominent veins, sporting ‘stitch’ indentations, coursing over the head and mid portions of the wrapper. Good tooth. Early signs of plume developing near the foot. Otherwise relatively smooth. Displayed a semi-gloss sheen with certain areas giving off a more buttery glow in the lamplight. An unashamedly rustic appearance.
Colour of capa: Bridging the range between Colorado Claro and Colorado. Van Dyke brown imbued with a Tuscan red cast and cocoa highlights. A very few punctate burnt umber markings.
Colour of capote: Dull Van Dyke brown tending toward sepia.
Colour of tripa: Raw sienna through sanguine and Indian red to dark chocolate brown. Leaned to the deeper end of the colour spectrum overall.

Construction: Mild box-press. Fairly circular cross-section except for one flattened side. Sturdily rendered taper and cap point. Compactly rolled filler leaves. No air gaps whatsoever. Medium-firm to the touch with good superficial resilience.
Draw: Ideal for the length and gauge.
Combustion: Fossil grey to deep charcoal ash with the chasmal exterior compensated for by a very solid core. The ash handily held on past 1 inch, though it initially left behind a concave residual ember upon dropping. This aberration improved later on. The burn edge tended to scallop, and required two minor corrections not long after ignition. However, it then settled into a steady 10º from perpendicular angle. A single relight was needed past the ½-way point.
Total smoking time: 1½ hours.

Pre-light aroma: Musty. Baking spices and Yemen Mocha Mattari coffee grounds scattered over barnyard soil. Tobacco leaves stored in an empty honey pot. Alluring.
Post-light aroma: Medium toasted tobacco touched by discreet sweetness. Leather. Cedar dust sparking over an open fire.

Palate entry: Whole wheat toast and tobacco. Cedar. Autumn field grass. Just a dash of lemon pepper along with a fine mist of honey droplets. A nice balance between rounded softness and spiced wood sharpness.
Mid point: Straight-ahead medium-bodied toasted tobacco. Focused citrus zest and lively herbaceousness. Petrified wood.
Latter stages: A demure mocha coffee creaminess calmed the brittle delineation of woods, herbs and spices ever so slightly.

Summary: Pleasant enough, though the fragrance seemed to promise more than the flavours delivered. Given the benefit of the doubt, obviously still in an early evolutionary phase. As an appetizer, perhaps?

08-12-2005, 08:03 PM	#1
jazznut Managing Editor Emeritus Herf God Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 26,082	Sancho Panza Belicosos Appetizer? Sancho Panza Belicosos Country of fabrication: Cuba Packaging: Plain dress box containing 25 banded cigars Dimensions of cigar: 5.5 inches by 52 ring gauge Name of vitola: Campanas Box code: SCO JUL02 Factory: La Habana Date smoked: Friday August 12th, 2005 Setting: An uninterrupted evening in the upstairs study. Accompanying drink: Gonzalez Byass Noe Pedro Ximénez Muy Viejo 30 Year Old Sherry – 15.5%ABV. This impenetrably dark brown Spanish elixir, which surely counts amongst the most viscous and decadent of dessert wines, provided an appropriate flavour foil to the Belicosos. The cigar: Texture of capa: Somewhat creased and crinkled in places with a trio of quite prominent veins, sporting ‘stitch’ indentations, coursing over the head and mid portions of the wrapper. Good tooth. Early signs of plume developing near the foot. Otherwise relatively smooth. Displayed a semi-gloss sheen with certain areas giving off a more buttery glow in the lamplight. An unashamedly rustic appearance. Colour of capa: Bridging the range between Colorado Claro and Colorado. Van Dyke brown imbued with a Tuscan red cast and cocoa highlights. A very few punctate burnt umber markings. Colour of capote: Dull Van Dyke brown tending toward sepia. Colour of tripa: Raw sienna through sanguine and Indian red to dark chocolate brown. Leaned to the deeper end of the colour spectrum overall. Construction: Mild box-press. Fairly circular cross-section except for one flattened side. Sturdily rendered taper and cap point. Compactly rolled filler leaves. No air gaps whatsoever. Medium-firm to the touch with good superficial resilience. Draw: Ideal for the length and gauge. Combustion: Fossil grey to deep charcoal ash with the chasmal exterior compensated for by a very solid core. The ash handily held on past 1 inch, though it initially left behind a concave residual ember upon dropping. This aberration improved later on. The burn edge tended to scallop, and required two minor corrections not long after ignition. However, it then settled into a steady 10º from perpendicular angle. A single relight was needed past the ½-way point. Total smoking time: 1½ hours. Pre-light aroma: Musty. Baking spices and Yemen Mocha Mattari coffee grounds scattered over barnyard soil. Tobacco leaves stored in an empty honey pot. Alluring. Post-light aroma: Medium toasted tobacco touched by discreet sweetness. Leather. Cedar dust sparking over an open fire. Palate entry: Whole wheat toast and tobacco. Cedar. Autumn field grass. Just a dash of lemon pepper along with a fine mist of honey droplets. A nice balance between rounded softness and spiced wood sharpness. Mid point: Straight-ahead medium-bodied toasted tobacco. Focused citrus zest and lively herbaceousness. Petrified wood. Latter stages: A demure mocha coffee creaminess calmed the brittle delineation of woods, herbs and spices ever so slightly. Summary: Pleasant enough, though the fragrance seemed to promise more than the flavours delivered. Given the benefit of the doubt, obviously still in an early evolutionary phase. As an appetizer, perhaps? __________________ My whisky adventure began at the age of nine. Good things DO take time!