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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.