SLR Pacíficos ER Asia Pacífico – OSB JUL-09 (BGRW)

[StogieSteve23]

SLR Pacíficos – OSB JUL-09 – Asia Pacífico ER-2009 (BGRW)

For me, this is a big gun, holy grail cigar in my collection.  Box code OSB JUL-09 for this Pacificos. This was the first box of regional sticks I bought when I got into Cubans about 4 years back and is the cigar that threw me down the rabbit hole. Every time I light this cigar up, it brings me right back to that moment.  

 

 

Opening Remarks: This vitola has never been a favorite of mine for any marca but I love this stick. Though the wrapper is rough and jagged, a nice sheen and slight toothiness make me lick my lips in anticipation of the flavor exploration I am soon to embark upon. After a slight diagonal clip of the soft yet almost curved, instead of pointed head, this cigar feels a lot more like a lancero on the lips than a pyramide (yeah yeah, bring on the jokes!). After taking three perfect cold draws, I wanted to give it to my fiancé to do the same before I said anything.  I asked her to take few small ones and then 2-3 bigger draws while holding in the air on the last for a few seconds.  After exhaling the air I asked what she tasted.  The first words out of her mouth we “blackberries.”  I responded with “sun-dried golden raisins.”  It was very fruit heavy and I didn’t mind.  I get black cherry notes sometimes when I smoke these and I love it.  

First Third: After toasting the foot, combustion is perfect with thick hazelnut coffee like smelling smoke.  Right off the bat the smoke is chewy and I taste hay with a little vanilla on the retrohale.  Unfortunately the burn is very wonky. I try a slight re-light to one side of the stick where the tobacco seems to be more tightly bunched causing it to burn slower. Despite the snaggletooth burn, flavors are on point.  Hay has left the palate and made way for a scrumptious, almost whipped creamy vanilla flavor that rolls over the tongue and delights every taste bud.  Well into the first third, I try touching up again, but to no avail.

 

Second Third: After another slight touch up a few puffs in, smoke production is still excellent with a sweet baked sugar cookie like smell. I still get a creamy flavor on the tongue, this time reminiscent of raw chocolate chip cookie dough.  A nice introduction of soft black pepper has made its way into the mix on the retrohale. Temperature on the stick has remained cool and now as we make our way into the final third, lemon pepper starts to throw a barrage of flavor packed punches over my mouth like a boxer on the losing end of a knockout.  The burn still annoys me and again, another touch up. 

Final Third: Lemon pepper continues to punch for a few more blows and leaves little of itself in its wake.  Cookies and cream have come back with a vengeance and I don’t want it to stop. The burn remains wonky until I finish this flavor bomb. Excellent temperature control remains with the same delicious smoke gracefully kissing every smell receptor as it has done the previous two thirds of the stick. More cookies and cream throughout the final third make way for an almost unpleasant end to such a delicious treat.  As I smoke it to the nub, hay decided to make a comeback and bring along some leather for the last few puffs.  Not a terrible way to end but somewhat blah for the flavor ride I was on previously.

 

Closing Remarks: Despite the wonky burn which persisted the duration of my flavor ride, I enjoyed the cigar almost as much as I can ever do so. SLR Pacificos will always be one of my favorite cigars.  This one was delicious from start to finish and left me yearning for more.  The wrapper was ugly but it didn’t matter, it’s all about what’s on the inside. 

 

 

Burn: 3/5 (Very wonky burn – seemingly over bunched to one side of the stick)

Construction: 3/5 (Excellent draw, temperature control and smoke production – rounded head is a plus)

Flavor: 5/5 (Decedent - creamy cookie flavors – complexity with hints of lemon/pepper)

Smell: 5/5 (Delicious – Hazelnut coffee smelling smoke)

Wrapper: 3/5 (Rough and jagged with large veins/bumps – nice sheen with slight toothiness)

Overall Score: 19/25

 

 

[Markspring1978]

Nice job, very objective. Sorry it didn’t smoke better. Construction issues are always such a disappointment. 

[toledo1969]

My Advice with these Regionals is that you keep the RH 63-65%

[Chucko8]

Great review and pics. I always obtain the citrus lemon aspect in these sticks

[StogieSteve23]

4 hours ago, Markspring1978 said:

Nice job, very objective. Sorry it didn’t smoke better. Construction issues are always such a disappointment. 

Thank you very much! With the superb flavors, poor construction was easy to overlook. 

4 hours ago, toledo1969 said:

My Advice with these Regionals is that you keep the RH 63-65%

Thank you for this.  The constant relative humidity in the air here is higher than I would like it and thus I think it plays a bit of a factor in my sticks.  I'm working on something at the moment to alleviate that issue for my collection and am awaiting a new cabinet humidor which I hope will solve this one and forever.  I also did not dry box this at all before smoking it which I think may have played a slight factor as well.  

[saintsmokealot]

Great descriptive and honest review!

[Raskol]

Great review & nice pics. Thank you.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[StogieSteve23]

14 hours ago, saintsmokealot said:

Great descriptive and honest review!

Lol. Without honesty, what’s left?!