Syrinxx’s Cigar Shack

Perdomo Lot 23 Churchill

Size – 7 x 50
Age - 2 months
Cost – $4-5 online
Wrapper – Natural (Nicaragua)
Construction – The wrapper on the Lot 23 that I chose for review had some problems.  It had some noticeable veins; there were several cracks by the foot and two small tears along the body.  The head cracked when I used the punch on it, but it held together.  Symmetry was good. (4/10)
Burn – Burn was not straight but needed no touchups or relights.  (6/10)
Ash – Ash was light grey and mostly compact, but a nice messy 3/4″ ash fell early and landed on my laptop.
Draw & Smoke – Draw was solid but not difficult and yielded a good amount of smoke per draw.
Flavor – This cigar started out fairly unremarkable, with some woody flavor and a bit of spice and pepper on the finish.  The flavors intensified in the second third and the pepper became balanced with a pleasant creaminess.  Room aroma was very nice with a sweet and earthy smell.  The final third produced even more body moving towards the full range, and more peppery flavor on the back of the palate.
Strength – Med/Full
Rating – 5/10
Value – 5/10

Drink - I had two beverages accompanying this cigar.  First, a Cabernet Sauvignon, which I did not like the pairing very much; I felt like the tannins in the wine and all the pepper from the cigar were just killing my palate.  So I moved to a good ‘ol Pepsi Cola which actually paired up nicely with the second half stick.
Notes - I was looking forward to trying the Lot 23 since it has an interesting origin – all the tobacco in the cigar comes from the same small farm near the Perdomo factory in Nicaragua.  Unfortunately, due to significant consruction issues and somewhat one-dimensional flavor, I rated this pretty low.  This cigar will definitely be re-visited after the rest have a long nap in the coolidor.

Reviews 5/10, 50 Ring, Churchill, Cigar Review, Med/Full, Natural, Perdomo

Macanudo 1968 Churchill

Size – 7 x 49
Age - 5 Months
Cost – $9 – 10 in stores (not available online)
Wrapper – Honduran
Construction – The 1968 is well constructed with a pretty, oily wrapper that had no flaws.  The cigar has slightly uneven symmetry.  The slight damage to the foot of the review cigar was my own fault, I had it out of the cellophane in a desktop humidor that was rearranged frequently.  (7/10)
Burn – Burn was even with no touchups needed.  (8/10)
Ash – Salt and pepper with a 2″ grab.  Some flowering and loose ash.
Draw & Smoke – The draw was easy but not loose, producing a large amount of aromatic smoke in each puff.
Flavor – Prelight flavors were coffee and little bit of spice I could not quite put my finger on – nutmeg or cinnamon maybe?  After lighting up you are treated to lots of spice, leather and a bit of coffee.  This is a rich and interesting cigar whose room aroma is among my favorites – sweet tobacco, spice and chocolate aromas compliment the cigar’s flavor.
Strength – Medium
Rating – 9/10
Value – 4/10

Drink - Hot earl grey tea.  The citrus notes from this tea made a very nice pairing with the 1968.
Notes - It is unfortunate that the Macanudo 1968 is a “contract cigar”, meaning it can only be sold by participating tobacconist shops and not online.  This makes MSRP the lowest price you will likely find this tasty cigar, and while I really like this smoke, it’s not one that I would purchase as an everyday.  The advertisements you may have seen for the 1968 claim it’s “bold” and imply that this is a full bodied cigar.  Compared to other Macs it may be, but overall it’s Medium, perhaps Med/Full. 

Reviews 49 Ring, 9/10, Churchill, Cigar Review, Macanudo