series review of Pinar Del rio; Exclusivo

Pinar Del Rio cigars began to attract attention a few short years ago as their line of liga reserva Superior blends. These cigars quickly garnered a following among cigar enthusiasts for the rich and flavorful line of cigars. In the December of last years and June of this year I purchased a sampler bundle of their line of cigars for testing this brand.The results of this roughly 8 month test involved smoking 4 and some times more of each blend. I will be highlighting them over the coming weeks and give you my over all impression of this blend. The fist of which is the yellow banded (at the foot) with a silk ribbon; exclusivo.Pinar Del Rio is a boutique brand created by Abe Florez in the Dominican Republic. The Clasico Exclusivo is one of the most premium of the lines in the PDR portfolio, using some of the highest quality tobaccos available in the Don Leoncio factory. The Clasico is wrapped in a soft and creamy Connecticut / Ecuadorian wrapper. The binders and fillers are a mix of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos.I chose the toro size for this review and smoked 5 of this size. this is my over all impression of all 5 I smoked having the same characteristics.

The wrapper is a creamy light coffee in color and minimal veining is evident.The cap looks a little rustic in appearance but ofter using a punch cutter I saw a very stout triple cap.The cigar lit with minimal effort and I was greeted with a Cinnamon spice flavor on my pallet.The draw through out the first inch or so was a bit snug but opened up slightly, that was a pleasant surprise. The strong notes of toast where prevalent through out this enjoyable smoke.At about 2 thirds of the way through a floral hint would coalesce and fade several times through to the finish with notes of almonds arising at the finish.The ash was grey/white through out and was thick and banded but also slightly flaky.

This cigar stayed firmly in the medium bodie to medium/full flavor and I got a slight but very present "nica tingle" along my tongue.A sure sign that the tobaccos where well aged and processed. I Did however encounter 2 of the three toro's tested as having soft spots and loose rolling.This was cured by pinching these areas to achieve a better draw. This did not detract from my enjoyment of these cigars and this specific blend.  I would put this into a steady summer time rotation with out hesitation. ALL THE BEST-SMOKINJOE