BRAND: Tabacalera del Oriente

NAME: San Martín

TYPE: Pyramid

LENGTH: 6

RING: 52

COUNTRY: Peru

WRAPPER: Peru

BINDER: Peru

FILLER: Peru

DATE OF PURCHASE: 12/29/2008

DATE OF REVIEW: 11/29/2009

AGE: 11.2 months

LOOK AND FEEL: 92

FLAVOR AND AROMA: 91

BURN AND CONSTRUCTION: 91

OVERALL SCORE: 91.15

REVIEW #3

WEBSITE: http://peruviancigars.net/

STORAGE CONDITIONS: These cigars come in Spanish cedar boxes that are manufactured in the little town of Tarapoto in Peru. I have them in my Aristocrat cabinet humidor set at 68%RH and with temperatures ranging from 68 to 71 degrees F.

This is the third in a series of reviews on the San Martín Pyramid. The cigars have been resting for 11.4 months in my cabinet._I am happy to report that, after I voted the San Martín my "Best New Cigar of 2007," it is still showing great things.

The cigar is 100% Peruvian tobacco: wrapper, binder, and filler. It is blended to be medium bodied and full flavored.

The pyramid vitola comes in a specially designed, beautiful hand painted display box containing 25 Peruvian cigars. The pyramids are 6 inches x 52 ring-gauge.

This is a gorgeous looking stick. The wrapper is oily with a slight leather-back turtle look. This stick was also already showing off a little bit of plume on the wrapper. There is a nice aroma of sweet hay and chicken coup coming off the wrapper and the filler tobaccos.

This cigar started with creamy and lush flavors of  sweet hay, raw nuts, light aromatic wood and a tangy spice on the retrohale.

During the first half of the smoke, the cigar is medium in body and medium to full in flavor. Though the burn line is slightly blistered, the cigar is burning evenly and the draw is perfect. The ash was dark smoky gray and was firm and consistent in texture. It held on firmly until I tapped the pellet off, usually at 1-inch intervals.

By the halfway point, the finish becomes longer and ripe with aromatic cedar.

I always really enjoy this cigar. However, one caveat is that I've only smoked the pyramid vitola and have no desire to try any other. I love the pyramid and, if it ain't broke... you get the idea.

This cigar is a relaxing smoke and there are nothing but good flavors throughout. It is complex with flavors changing all the way through the smoke. Nothing bitter or off about the flavors and this is always an enjoyable smoke.

I recommend this cigar to a wide range of cigar enthusiasts: from beginning to advanced cigar smokers. It's a little pricey at around $9.50 per stick, but I recommend it anyway and I will always have a box of these around.

I will say it again... this is a great stick and one well worth its price.

~Doc