BRAND: Los Blancos

NAME: Premier Selection Criollo

TYPE: Torpedo

LENGTH/RING GAUGE: 6.5 x 52

WRAPPER: Honduras

BINDER: Honduras

FILLER: Nicaragua

DATE OF PURCHASE: 11/8/2008

DATE OF RATING: 6/20/2009

TIME IN HUMIDOR :  7.5 months

LOOK AND FEEL: 89

FLAVOR AND AROMA: 90

BURN: 90

OVERALL SCORE: 89.8

REVIEW #2

WEBSITE: http://www.losblancos.com

STORAGE CONDITIONS: This is the second review of the Los Blancos Premier Selection Criollo Torpedo. These samples have been aging quietly in my Aristocrat humidor at 68%RH and 72°F.  They have been maintained in their cello and stored in a cedar tray within the cabinet humidor. An additional 6 months of age has been acquired on these smokes since their first review.

TASTING NOTES: This cigar is wrapped with a medium-brown Criollo wrapper. It is slightly mottled, dull in appearance, and leathery to the touch. Light veins adorn the wrapper along its length, and a slight soft spot is felt beneath the band that extends to the head of the cigar. I noticed that the cigar cap was finished with a slightly darker shade of Criollo than the wrapper, but a cigar is not all appearances…

With the nasal interrogation being the next step, this cigar displayed the aroma of cocoa at the foot, while the wrapper emanated some light woody notes.

I cut an ample portion of the cap and took a pre-light draw. The light flavors of cocoa and leather enticed my palate. I then set this cigar ablaze to see what aging has done for it.

By the 1/3rd point, the main flavor of wood continued to build towards medium, while the spice in the smoke wafted in and out. The halfway point, the cigar showed some leather notes and the sweet aftertaste continued to be detected on the palate.

These flavors and nuances continued to the ¾ point where some charry-ness was detected in the flavor profile. Purging the cigar at this point fixed the condition temporarily, but the flavor returned after a few draws. The cigar did also get a little soft in its construction in the last two inches. Since the outside humidity was close to 70%, I deducted that the combination of outside humidity and water extracted in the filler through combustion was the culprit for this "softness."

This cigar produced a firm gray ash with some slight feathering in the ash. The burn line was even with no discernible problems in the burn category. The finish was lingering, with savory notes of wood.

This cigar produces some great flavors and still can challenge the palate of the experienced smoker. Although its score dropped slightly for appearance, it still appears to be well made and is rock solid in the flavor and aroma category. So with that, we'll rate this cigar again in about three months.

~Blake