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Figure I make this my first official post out of pure excitement. I got lucky to get my hands on a box of Royal Selection 11s from 2000. They look absolutely phenomenal!!! Would love to hear your experience with these!

Long time Punch whore here, reporting on a discontinued classic that disappeared from the Habanos catalog several years ago. The RS11 Corona Gorda ranks second in my list of best Punch CGs, behind the SS2 and above the Punch Punch. This particular vitola is from a 25-cab that has been resting in my humidor for near 12 years. ]Unfortunately the rainy, humid weather dampened the experience somewhat, causing some burn problems near the end. Burn issues aside, I love the size, strength and aroma of this lovely cigar. For pairing I chose a lovely red wine blend of old vines Monastrell, Syrah and Tintorera called Campo Ariba from Spain, with a 2014 date. It’s a bold wine with notes of cherry and blackberries, very tasty and suitably matched to the body of the RS11. I won’t get into a lengthy review of the the RS11 here, I already wrote a detailed review back in January, which you can find here: http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/129777-punch-royal-selection-no-11-vel-abr-03-discontinued-cigar-review-weekend/?tab=comments#comment-748959 Due to the rain throughout the day, humidity was north of 90%, so the typical flavor profile of cedar and sweet spices was rather subdued, but the cigar did flirt with flavors of Thai tea here and there. Despite the humidity, the cigar burned straight and without issues through the first half. Shortly into the second half the burn started to waver slightly and needed correcting. Body intensified a fair bit in the second half, no doubt because of the excess moisture in the air. As the last third commenced, the cigar snuffed out and I had to relight and purge. Keep the cigar lit was challenging throughout the last third, and the flavor started to get a tad bitter. In summary, I’ve had much better experiences with this cigar, and specifically from this very same box. Although not entirely off-putting, I’ve come to expect much more from this classic CG. I shall have to revisit the remaining 3 or 4 I have left under better conditions. Two hours and twelve minutes. I thought I was smoking a bit fast, but when I checked the time I was surprised it was well over two hours.