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This 2014 Epi Especial is one of the last from a Cedar 10 count I picked up a few years ago. Flavorwise the cigars have been very good, but they have been underfilled and lumpy construction wise. This example was no different. Very loose pack for the first half of the cigar, tightening up as I worked my way to the head. Some sweetness on the prelight, very open draw. 1st Third - Bread dough, some nuts. Burn is all over the place, but the flavors are good. The cigar is already burning hot. 2nd Third - Bread dough continues, some sweetness ebbs in, along with some cinnamon or nutmeg. Towards the end of this third the roll improves and the cigar starts to perform much better. Final Third - While the draw improved, it was still very open. The spices and sweetness disappear early in this third, the breadyness fades as well. Toasted tobaccos is all that remains as the cigar finally gets hot and bitter. Summary - Simialr to the other in the box. Great flavors, but poor construction. I really enjoy this size and marca. I will definitely be looking to stock up again, but at PSP or HQ quality. The construction issues really affected this box. 72 minutes total.

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.

I have become a big fan of Juan Lopez over the last 18-24 months. I hadn't had much exposure to the Marca previous to that point. They are by no means a mild or light cigar. But the black coffee and nuts that I get from them, plus their intensity, lead me to believe they will be great agers. I much prefer the Corona Gorda size to the shorter, fatter Sellecion 2. I also prefer the slightly more subtle/refined flavor I get from this size, I think they will eventually be much more complex. Pre light - Surprisingly nothing of note. Tobacco, firm draw. 1st Third - Black coffee, some nuts on the fringes, toasted tobacco. I worked the foot a bit with the perfecdraw prelight, but the draw is still tighter than I prefer. It takes two or three pulls to get a mouthful of thick smoke. There is a lump around mid point that seems the worst. 2nd Third - Coffee and nuts continue to mingle with the toasted tobacco core. There is plenty of fresh, vegetal, flavor as well, not quite unpleasent, but in my opinion it doesn't add to the cigars enjoyment. Im hoping this ages away. The cigar is savory and bitter like black coffee, not bitter as in too hot. Final Third - Once I worked through the knot about mid way the draw opened right up. Dominance of coffee, nuts and tobacco continues. Some unpleasent bitter, and tarry flavors start to appear towards the end, mixed with the still present vegatal notes, leaves for an unpleasent last few puffs. Summary - A strong, full flavor cigar through and through. Not a lot of nuance or development as the smoke progressed, but I'm hoping the strong flavor core present now smooths out with age leaving some nice smooth, flavorful sticks in a decades time. 74 minutes.

Review: Habanos 1994 Release: Special release humidor to commemorate the establishment of Habanos S.A. Vitola: 46RG * 143mm (5.6”) Grand Corona aka Coronas Gordas Production: 502 humidors of 50 cigars made. (25,100 cigars) Box Code: Unknown (rolled circa 1994) http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/brand.aspx?brand=Habanos#16_1994_Humidor Date: Saturday June 14, 2014 Start Time: 9:35PM 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. Background: The Habanos 1994 release is probably third after the 1492 and CT25 releases in terms of lustre. Coming in a beautifully crafted humidor, the Habanos 1994 aims to be the pinnacle of Cuban cigars in its’ time. At least, that what I like to think Habanos had in mind when putting this together. I don’t see many early 1990’s CC’s around here so when this came up via a local private sale, I was interested. Pre-Light Notes: Visuals: smooth wrapper, light veins, firm well stored, ready to smoke Aroma at cold: The wrapper has an aged tobacco aroma to it. There’s hint of pine as well. The foot has that same aroma, but there’s a touch of chocolate on it. Overall, the aroma is more woodsy than floral. I get a nice clean punch on the head, the draw is smooth. Time to smoke! 1st Third: definitely alive lots of flavour to start / the cigar is smooth / toasty / bread like flavours / minty taste / nice tangy notes / lots of smoke production / draw is great / wow..hints of chocolate that Ii smelled I can now taste. didn't last too long, but it’s there.. / dry tannin like finish on the draw / profile thus far is mild / no real strong tobacco hits either / slight nuttiness on the finish / mintiness still dancing in & out on the draws / very nice. i have only tasted mint in aged cigars / but not to the same degree / this one is packed with it. 2nd Third: Serious amount of smoke output on this cigar, it’s aroma is somewhat herbal / tobacco seems to be showing some strength / slight vanilla notes appear / tangy tart notes with a hint of dark chocolate / mint again / burn is askew / no issues though / draw remains smooth / the smoke is aromatic a bit woodsy / wow,nice long draw results in rich beany flavours on the tongue / very dry profile overall / very subtle cigar, have to smoke it slowly and pay attention / sweet bready notes / sharp cedar notes emerge / the finish is slight cocoa like / 3rd Third: very crisp flavours here / a bit of mint / some toasty tobacco / dry nuttiness. medium bodied at this point / the tobacco strenght is coming through / tons of smoke persist / great draw / nice..some milk chocolate / the original owner definitely stored these well over the years / big hit of cedar and earth / mint / flavours are somewhat muted the last 6 draws / still enjoyable / back to mint / toasty tobacco / lots of smoke still / rich earthy notes with a cedary finish / dry almond like taste / big minty hit / slight cocoa on the finish / cedar notes with a beany finish toasty tobacco / lots of cedar notes / a bit stronger at this point / nice beany notes again / a slight hint of fruit cake / the only real sweet flavour to appear / a bit more cocoa on the finish / dry nuttiness / tobacco showing some of it’s strength as i head towards nubbing the cigar / more dry nuttiness / mint is gone / toasty tobacco takes over / the smoke is still pumping out / the aroma of it is quite strong / cocoa / cedary finish / nubbed this good / too hot to handle / calling it. Done @ 10:56PM EST Final Thoughts This was one elegant smoke. Overall it was dominated by minty flavours, it produced lots of smoke and had good range of flavours throughout. From foot to head, I’d say this was a medium bodied smoke with most of the stronger flavours coming out in the last half. It’s a real treat to smoke an aged cigar, even more so when it’s a truly limited item. With only 25,100 cigars made, I’m fortunate to have found a sample to smoke. Having been aged for 20 years, this cigar is definitely an experience. I’ve heard good things about the early to mid 90’s tobacco crops and this was probably a fine example of it when fresh. It’s certainly no slouch 20 years later. The Habanos 1994 was a smooth smoke throughout, it had enough flavour range to keep me interested, the draw was perfect, nothing to complain about really, maybe except the price? To me, this was worth the price of admission. This was a time capsule of Cuban tobacco that you just won’t see come up too often. It’s probably on a lot of people’s wish list and from my observations, it’s worthy of being coveted. Score: 95