BRAND: Saint Luis Rey

NAME: Reserva Especial

TYPE: Belicoso

LENGTH/RING GAUGE: 6.12 x 52

WRAPPER: EMS Nicaraguan

BINDER AND FILLER: Peruvian, Nicaraguan, and Honduran

DATE OF PURCHASE: 7/20/2005

DATE OF RATING: 9/8/2007

TIME IN HUMIDOR (months): 26.0

LOOK AND FEEL: 88

FLAVOR AND AROMA: 89

BURN: 88

OVERALL SCORE: 88.4

AGING POTENTIAL SCORE: C = this cigar may age beneficially for the first two years, but we recommend smoking within the first two years.

URL: http://www.altadisusa.com/

STORAGE CONDITIONS: This cigar has been kept in a separate box in my Aristocrat humidor, which has been maintained at 69%RH and 73-75°F. They spent some time in two additional humidors previously before ending up in the Aristocrat. After aging for 26 additional months after purchasing them, it is ready to take the test of fire.

The wrapper on this cigar is a medium cinnamon color with a feint spicy tobacco aroma to it. It maintains a light sheen that glosses the light veining that is apparent within the wrapper. The body appears well constructed, with no soft spots or under-filling noted.

I clipped an ample portion of the head with my Paliò cutter, being careful not to over-cut, since the finished cap was somewhat small. The pre-light draw was easy with light flavors of tobacco and spice. After toasting and lighting, I settle in for my lesson in cigar smoking.

This cigar starts out with mild-medium-bodied woody characters and a small amount of spice. A light “tang” can be detected in the smoke, although not as sharp as in previous reviews of this cigar. A light sweetness accompanies the aftertaste, almost like a sweet Maduro. These flavors are the predominant and balanced characters until the last third, in which they gradually deepen into a more coffee-like flavor.

As stated in a previous paragraph, I had a lesson in cigar smoking coming to me: The Art of Retro-hale (Exhaling through the nose). It has been long discussed that you can better detect the nuances of the tobaccos using the olfactory bulb located in your melon, rather than just your taste buds. Of course, you have to blow smoke past the sensor to detect them. Trying to practice this method, I detected a fruity character of an exotic nature. It took awhile of banging my head against the wall to place the flavor, but it soon came to me; Black Currant. I promised myself that I would never give into wine tasting terms to describe cigar flavors, but there you go. Maybe it was just my near incapacitated state?

Moving on…This cigar had a medium-bodied finish that lingered somewhat with an over-all experience that could best be described as “Cubanesque”.

Boasting a pearl gray ash, it was slightly cracked along the near-even striations. Brushing the ash off at the one-inch mark gave way to a short cinder cone, revealing an evenly rolled filler. Near the last third, the burn tended to favor one side, but rotating the cigar corrected the problem. A blistered burn line accompanied this condition until it was corrected. All things aside, this cigar has had the most consistent burn of the whole box to date.

This is not an exciting cigar; at least that is what I had thought in the past. Aging appears to have opened-up the characters of this cigar. Time has mellowed out some of the more prominent flavors, while allowing the more subtle ones to blossom. Technique has permitted me to enjoy the flavors to a deeper understanding. I can’t really recommend this cigar right off the shelf, but it promises to be a much better smoke if you can let it age for a while. That is what it is all about here at Stogie Fresh.

~Blake