Search the Community

Review: La Escepcion Coronas Extra Largas Release: 1974/75 Release Vitola: Lonsdale 44RG by 7.7inch Production: Regular. Discontinued 1970’s Box Code: UNK. Stamped 9/75 by tobacconist on underside. Paired with: ice water Date: Sunday July 30, 2016 Start Time: 3:37PM EST Reviewers Notes: My style of cigar reviewing is “open”. I try to jot down what I’m experiencing with every draw. When you see a “/” consider that a break in between puffs. What I leave out in fancy prose is made up with observation. Consider each segment a play by play. This style works for me. I hope you enjoy it. Some History I bought two of these back in Montreal around 2011. They weren't the greatest looking cigars, one had two beetle holes, both seemed a bit crispy and possibly were bereft of all their oils. But at $15CAD per stick, that included the box , I couldn't resist. If even as an heirloom/showpiece. I doubted I'd ever see one of these again, let alone actually smoke one. Here it is, as is. Pre-light notes Visual: Light, milk chocolate wrapper with mottled repair patches of RACF wrapper. A good sized stick, closer to a Churchill than Lonsdale IMO. Here it is compared to the Selectos Finos. The darker patches are where I made the repairs to the beetle holes. Using donor tobacco from a horribly disfigured RACF, I ground up some of the smaller bits into dust via mortar and pestle and then filled in the beetle holes. Larger wrapper pieces were then affixed with Arabic gum. Not too pretty, but it did the job. Feel: Somewhat spongy. Took 3 years to revive from it's "crispy" state. Aroma at cold: Wrapper: light must, cedar, nutmeg Foot:pure cocoa old cedar box, 1st Third Applied medium punch, some of the wrapper below the head flaked away. Very frail cigar even after revival. Draw seems good though / Lightly toast the foot, smells like BBQ coals / good opening / slight mustiness / excellent draw hits of cedar / good hit of nutmeg and or baking spice / toasty tobacco / interesting tannic finish on the draw, like a dry red wine, similar to the grape stem / dark chocolate / nice tanginess / great burn / toasty tobacco, some baking spice / hickory like finish on the draw / wine tannins on two draws, so it has a slight bitterness to it, but not something i’d call unpleasant / bitter chocolate / nice sharp, tangy flavour / sipping this cigar as slowly as possible to catch the nuances / nice white ash / bit more dark chocolate / some vegetal notes / ash falls off easy as i place the cigar back on the rest / tannic, with slight cocoa finish / some ice water to clean the palate / sharp, bitter chocolate / some good hits of sweetness and cedar on a few draws / chocolate / toasty tobacco / vegetal notes / slight canoe developing / correct the burn, thought i hated to do so / nice creamy coffee / some ice water again / wine tannins again / dark chocolate, slightly bitter, ashy finish / sharp, tangy vegetal notes / blustery ash falls on my shirt before i can set it down / 2nd Third bitter chocolate / some very green vegetal notes which is surprising for such an old cigar / the cigar burns very cool i notice / a few deep draws helps keep the flame alive / more tannins but with a nice cedary finish / touch up- relight needed / bitter chocolate follows / more pleasant, creamy coffee flavour returns / cocoa / more cocoa / still some canoeing going on / bitter chocolate / very blustery ash / nice, smooth nutmeg draw / sweet, cedary notes / cocoa, flavours seems to be settling down / cocoa again, slightly dry finish / ice water time / coffee / chocolate with a coffee finish / yikes! Very strong, ashy flavour (dead beetle BBQ?) / quick touch up, nasty flavour gone, back to bitter chocolate / ice water to clean palate / a smooth coffee draw with a building ashy taste on the finish, not as gross, but odd / sharp tannic notes / ice water / chance of pace! Beans! Like a black bean in chili, minus the chili / shart, dark chocolate / burn corrected, nice white ash too / wine tannins return / 3rd Third hickory with a bit of char / ash falls off easy / holy crap! Tar buildup on the head? In a cigar this old? I did not expect this given that it was dry as a bone when I bought it. Going to have to guillotine the offending bit off / ice water / surgery successful, not too much damage / better draw, smoother flavour / nutmeg / cocoa / nice cocoa hits, cigar has smoothed out / maybe i shouldn't have smoked the damaged stick first? / wrapper starts to flake off and unravel i fix it with a bit of water / toasty tobacco / nice creamy coffee draw, very full bodied / more canoeing / beans again on the finish / really nice rich, tobacco flavour / touch up needed to correct burn / another tasty pull, coffee with a cedary finish / ice water / slight anise flavour / rich tobacco hit, like a spicy NC / increased smoke production / nice beany hit / cedar notes linger on the finish a bit / another spicy hit, with a strong bean finish / another good draw, cedar and cocoa, lost a bit more of wrapper though / lots of smoke, some white pepper and a nice lingering cedar finish on the tongue / ice water / beans again / peppery, cedar finish / a bit of anise with a hint of sweetness at the end / lots of smoke still / cedar seems to linger on the tongue / very rich cedar hit / a quick touch up to keep things inline / nubbing this for sure / more beans and cedar / this last third is really shining which i kind of expected/hoped (will explain more later) / mouthful of cedar / tangy tobacco / cigar has heated up / tangy tobacco / sipping cigar now / cedar returns / oily draw, full of toasty tobacco / nubbing now / beany hit / removed band, cigar splinters a bit / cedary draw / last puffs, some good old cedar with a nice peppery finish / FIN Done @ 5:22 EST Conclusions After many long years of trying to revive these two samples, I was finally able to smoke one. This one I call "the ugly one". Having smoked this, maybe the better one will get a long stay of execution? I didn't know what to expect with this cigar. Given that it was dry and that almost all of its' oils bled into the cellophane over the decades, I wasn't sure there would be much to taste. Much to my surprise and delight, the revival process showed some promise over time in that there was still a very pleasant aroma from the wrapper and foot of these cigars. That I was able to get as much flavour and enjoyment out of it at all is a miracle. I've been pretty fanatic about the Selectos Finos when they came out, so being able to go back in time with this cigar was a joy. Of course, I have zero idea on how these smoked fresh. From what I've read, the marca was on the very strong side and lost it's following over time. While this cigar was no powerhouse compared to the Selectos Finos and Don Jose, I could "sense" that it may have been there originally given that it still was a decent, medium bodied smoke after so many decades of rest. There's a belief that strong blends survive well over time. That may be the case with this particular release. I was expecting the complexity of a dusty, rolled up newspaper. What I experienced was far better than I hoped. Smoking this was a relaxing trip back in time. Outside of a couple of really harsh tasting draws, this was an experience well worth the wait. Thanks for reading. BW Bonus Pics.

A little while back, I noticed there was quite the chatter over some of the harder-to-find Corona cigars, and the usual disappointment at their discontinuation. I count myself among those who strongly lament the loss of most of the Corona-size cigars from HSA's catalog, because they are still my favourite size of all cigars, and I still think the offer the best package for Cuban tobacco possible - the perfect proportions of size and length to deliver the most of each marca's unique flavours. To that end, I decided to put aside a month this year to do a series of reviews - one review for each marca's Corona that I could find, to remind us all of what we've lost, to salute some of the finest cigars HSA has ever discontinued, and to see if we can't build a little more awareness and support to the vitola....lest we lose the few coronas that still remain in production! Besides all that - it's fun to review and compare, and see who comes out on top! So here's what I'll do - I'll post a roster of the Coronas I could find for review, and post a review at regular intervals on this thread. (there are a few that I could not acquire in trade, but I'll comment on the ones I might have had in the past - in the interest of completeness). I invite everyone who wants to post about Coronas to chime in, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Coronas you've liked, experiences you've had, and if you want to review a Corona and post here to go with my reviews - by all means join in! I'd like this to be a fun month - I hope you'll enjoy this trip down memory lane, and that you can join me in lighting up a Corona or two yourself this month. Cheers!

Mike’s Partagas Coronas Senior - Wed Aug 13th 3:55am To begin this review, I would like to draw to your attention a previous review of this particular Partagas expression from 2006, conducted by Havana Joe (AGO 05). HJ was largely unimpressed by this cigar and rated it as a 5/10 – "forgettable" according to his own scale. I will hereby declare a spoiler alert that my own mileage varied slightly more in favor of the cigar from his experience. The process of writing this has been exciting for me. I've been looking forward to taking the time to post a detailed second FOH cigar review and this one has indeed come with some surprises. Previously, I'd written the post as with the note: "Mind you, these PCS sticks are separated by nearly ten years of production. I'll assume plenty of room for change in all of that time." After requesting a bit of info, Rob and Alastair indicated that the box was coded AGO SEP 10. edit: After further discussion with Alastair, it's been determined that HJ's PCS was an August 2005 from an unspecified factory. Mine was from the AGO factory code, produced in September of 2010. This coincidence of codes brought me a little confusion! That leaves them with an approximately five year production gap. While his was a year old at the most, mine has about four years of age on it. A pleasant surprise, having not had this knowledge during the smoking experience! (Not my shoes – presumably Alastair's. Lookin' slick, though!) Some relevant replies from HJ's thread: Chuck's reply here intrigued me as I hadn't yet heard this perception of tubos. At first writing, this quote drew a parallel to their similar ages despite production years. It's now worth noting the difference of 3-4 years in age between mine and HJ's. In light of the information that Chuck shared here, we'll see where we stand with a stick that's just under a year from what he preferred the tubos aged to! Thought it appropriate to throw El Hefe's take on them (in the context of that time period). Without further ado, I shall proceed with my own account. Well, okay, a bit more ado. We will soon begin with your feature presentation. This review took place early in the morning, outside on the front porch, in the cool night air after a day of rain. At the time of lighting, weather's now totally still and comfortable. Once I'd revisited the thread about Robin Williams' unfortunate departure from our physical world, I decided to spend the morning (instead of sleeping) smoking a cigar and watching Good Will Hunting in his memory. Here's a quote from that thread which further outlines my thoughts of him in doing this review: Additionally, I armed myself with a tall dram of Glen Garioch 12yo and proceeded to revisit his talent. (The GG 12 very decent Highlands malt – follow this link to The Rum Howler's blog for a review.) As the header of the review suggests, I received the PCS A/T in a friendly pre-box-split bomb from Mike (mikek). This cigar was stored for three weeks after shipping in 63%. Thanks so much, Mike! Left my punch inside; I happily went with another of Rob’s “barbarian cuts” on this one. Satisfactory draw. Construction was average if slightly above. Color leans more towards Colorado Claro. No noticeable flaws, remarkable oils, or large midribs ("veins"). A comfortable sponginess with just a little resistance. Although I took no image of the foot, it seemed a well-balanced roll with a good-looking spiral to the filler. I think this should be a particularly fun read given my tasting notes and comments were made without the knowledge that I was smoking an aged cigar of four years! Quite funny in retrospect, but offers great insight into my surprise at some of the early complexity. Cold draw: Floral, slight pepper, but mostly bright floral tobacco on the nose and mouth. Opening: The most astounding, caught-me-off-guard opening I’ve yet experienced. First lit draw was pure green pepper – the first time I’ve ever tasted true green pepper in a cigar. It was unmistakable and such a surprising joy! First Third: A few more draws in and the pepper moved away to reveal some nutty, slightly sweet/salty tobacco. A bit of white pepper precedes the nut and salt finish. Perfect burn line. (Burn line shifts to near-perfect just as I fumble to take a photo. Blast!) A pull after a brief photo pause perplexes me… There's an initial wet hay very prevalent on the front. Then, very subtle nuttiness falls to the back and replaced by a very dark, slightly sweet wood – extremely earthy, perhaps the quintessential “wet earth” of a coniferous forest. Wow, this is a great cigar. Very pleased to say it’s the best Partagas I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a few great D4s (Rob’s HQ sampler, relatively young gifts from two members). /// This is an extremely complex, savory cigar. Approaching 75% to the end of first third after a little over ten minutes, burn has unevened just a touch but I have no concerns. (I've removed the "selfie" for anonymity and to improve tone.) Just a lovely spice here, a wood campfire coming through, and suddenly a distinct peanut butter note follows in between nose and mouth exhalation! (A favorite of mine.) Peanut butter and toasted tobacco continues, salt and sweet wet hay return to the finish. So smooth! Burning beautifully again, the peanut butter/tobacco/wood profile yields a subtle hint of gingerbread and just a little spice when let through the nose. Second third: Once more, the burn is no longer perfectly razor-sharp but still moving along beautifully; without any trouble. Sweet woody aroma compliments an extremely well balanced wood and earth profile. Slight white pepper. I keep thinking the word "clean". This is the perfect conifer forest themed profile right now, like going for a hike in a pristine stretch of the pine barrens a day after rain. (Okay, I'm getting carried away with how smooth it is, but I can't stress enough: clean. I've never had smoke that felt so cool that the predominant thought has been – "fresh, clear spring water".) Lovely. The ash falls after this third's ash photo, of course, landing on the edge of my computer. Thank heavens I bought this keyboard cover. We're halfway through the second third now. The third's been a captivating continuation of the last profile description, though extremely mellowed out. Definitely below medium at this time, whereas the first third was unquestionably full-on medium. In between cautious pulls are detections of slightly sweet, woody toasted tobacco notes with salty nuts returning unassumingly to the finish. No new flavor-play is detected after these changes for a good few millimeters – I sense that the dynamic phase of this cigar has waned. As is usually the case when I feel so compelled by a cigar as to write a review, I haven’t touched my dram since cold draw except to enjoy its aroma in compliment to the time between draws. Intermittent teases of chestnut, holly, sweet wood. Wet earth seems to be phasing out. Very slight peanut mixed with rosewood, salty back. Next draw, slight white pepper returns. A touch of drier hay has also returned. These minor flavor appearances drive forward what has become a mellow, singular and still very enjoyable second third. Back to the movie until a drastic change comes! I will take a sip of the dram first and report on that. It's a very curious and pleasant pairing. The peat cuts through this profile quite well. (How will this megalomaniacal incarnation of Matt Damon reclaim the love that he has so cowardly casted away?) End of second third yields little discernible change from the mellowed forest, but a just a little hint of mint on the aftertaste. This could be some interaction with the scotch. Final third: Still light and on the medium side, though smoke intensity picked up a bit. Hotter than second third. The flavors are now much less distinct. I wouldn’t call it “muddy”, more like "thick", like trying to muddle through an unfiltered and peppery molasses. The cigar still suffices to impress by becoming very back-palate salty now. Slight white pepper spice and just a touch of sweet, wet earth and tobacco. Through multiple draws, these hints begin take a rest. Variations on tobacco are dominating now. At this time I'm unabashedly leaning on the scotch for some variation. I go about this way and enjoy the excellent performances and writing of the movie for a few millimeters. An "end-of-final-third leather" and strong tobacco are starting to mark the onset of this cigar's epilogue. A little spinach winks and disappears into the memory of a single draw. (Another favorite flavor of mine. Olive oil sautéed spinach as it's always been to me – I've yet to taste fresh spinach.) After a handful more generous draws, just a slight notion of nutmeg. I believe that’s brought on by some residual malt of the scotch. With an inch left, the cigar is no longer extremely exciting. In fact, it's not very exciting at all, except for some overextended reminiscent draws of previous flavors in the stick. These bring more sympathy than enjoyment. I've decided against venturing into the posterior in favor of tossing it to focus on the end of this wonderful movie. Ratings (TL;DR ) I've conducted these ratings after formatting and editing the notes. They include my opinion of the cigar as an aged roll (less than a month shy of 4 years). Smoke and Texture: Started with a confident medium but lost its balance and luster. At its best, this was the coolest, cleanest cigar smoke I've ever experienced. If only it could have sustained such excellence. Similarly, the aromas were highly pleasant and very true to the tongue at their best. 4/5 Flavor(s): Although I would have enjoyed some more consistency and character to the nut flavors present, this cigar boasted one of the most enjoyable and unique flavors profiles I've tasted or even read about. That such profile persisted for quite some time and contained notable variation. About half of this stick's flavor was totally outstanding and the second half slowly dwindled. Points off for disappointment. 4.25/5 Construction and Burn: This cigar had character and presented not a single ill in construction nor burn. The ash was aesthetically pleasing, light gray, and held for approximately an inch and a half at a time. 3.75/5 In the end, I'm calling it a 90 point cigar. I sincerely wish it could have carried on at its most superb and nevertheless might look hopefully to its future in just a couple of years. When one considers the quite considerable improvement from the 2005, with just a few years on thrown on top, there seems to be great measure for desirable results in the aging of this particular 2010 PCS. If this would have terminated in a nub, it'd be up around the mid-90s. I'm happy to say that after this, I can finally admit to having reached some legitimate Partagas splendor. That's something I can't say I've gleaned from the Party Shorts or D4s yet, contrary to many enthusiastic reports from our other members. Again, I thank Mike for his generosity in providing the stick. Thank you, friends, for reading. Take and give care! Finally, let this effort culminate in my wishes for eternal peace to Robin Williams. It is particularly the great gifts of life that are so fleeting.