Pinar Del Rio series review; reserva limitada

I saved the best for last of course. Well in my opinion. the black banded reserva limitada. I smoked a total of 5 toro sized and 1 robusto sized cigar for this review. IN both my opinion and experience of smoking cigars for well over 2 1/2 decades I'd say that  the Seleccion Reserva Limitada is their finest blend and most complex of smokes. Like the rest of their core line, the cigar is filled with filler tobacco from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. It has a Criollo '98 Dominican binder and a wrapper from Lancaster County, USA, Pennsylvania Broad leaf.(YUM!!) The toro size measures 6" with a 54 ring gauge. It is a little bit bigger than most toro, but it is still a great size.

This blend has a wonderful aroma of chocolate, espresso and leather to it.Right from the start of ignition this cigar exudes an incredibly rich flavor of chocolate, espresso, leather and a nice hint of spice. There is a peppery finish and it is definitely medium in body. The cigar burns very well and produces plumes of rich wafting smoke. As I get into the second third of the cigar the flavors are still strong and incredibly rich. The cigar is definitely producing tons of rich flavor that just pops on the pallet, which are very similar to the first third. I am still getting a great amount of smoke with each puff and the cigar is still staying medium in body. The final third really shows the first change in the cigar,ramping up the notes pepper and leather than the first two thirds.it still has a good amount of the espresso and earth as well. I would say the final third is more full in body.I usually will smoke this blend down to the band and then some.The ash being thick and banded with white and black; hangs on with little problems. I did not experience any problems with voids or tight draws as I have with some of the core blend line.

Of all the cigars in this core line this one comes the closest to a Cuban rolled than all the others. Amazingly so. even evidencing that salty almost brine like back ground that many of the Cubans do today. When the weather cools a bit in the fall and tides of change lap at the island I live on;I enjoy this smoke. I think you will too. its not a dog day of summer smoke for sure,but a good friend that has come back again like the seasons that change,this one always is the same friend. ALL THE BEST SMOKINJOE