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This is my first review in a long time, so bear with me. I got this LGC Tainos back in 2008 as a single from an online retailer. It has been in my wineador all these years. Prelight, this cigar had a nice shiny wrapper with some slight tooth. I dryboxed it for a day in my 3-cigar leather pouch. After a punch cut, the draw was perfect with prelight aromas of tea and floral notes. I lit the cigar with a table lamp. The initial flavors were tea and floral notes which is especially pleasant on a retrohale. These flavors were very light and pleasant for the first half of the cigar. At the halfway point, there were slight tingling on my tongue with some cedar notes coming through. Towards the end, I started double-puffing which led to aromatic woods. Right before I finished the cigar, there were slight mint and roasted chestnut notes. Overall, this was a very elegant cigar. It was not very strong or dynamic, but it was very enjoyable nevertheless. Final smoking time was 1:20, 9/10. I smoked this on my back porch. You can see the oily wrapper. You can see the age of the cigar through the back of the band. Again, the wrapper was a pleasant sight.

Cold draw: apricot and honey Draw: perfect LRE is from Partagas Factory As we have at the moment wonderful weather over here. Work is done, weekend is coming up. Why not taken the chance to find peace in a cigar. First Third A light sweetness, a touch of liquorice. Dry mouthfeel. Very mild but full of flavour. Found it grassy, woody and floral notes. A little story on the side: I bought all my Tainos boxes between 2012-2013. In total there were 18 boxes and I could buy 5 of them. Yes, the plan was to buy them all piece by piece. Well how plans are like that. One day I came back and all my boxes were gone including the Partagas Con. 3 boxes. A very sobering experience. What did I learn? If you see a good opportunity, take it. Do not hesitate. What I really don’t get why they chopped all these wonderful Churchill’s? Now I am in the second third the Tainos is getting more and more taste of black tea, dark honey and it’s going from mild to medium. Ash is grey and wonderful. Hints of burned Creme brûlée. Last Third Drop the ash as usually. Now it’s in the upper medium range. Stayed with black tea, wood, leather and dark honey. In the back are some floral hints.

If you've been on this forum for a couple of years, then you have heard me rave about this particular Tainos relentlessly. In about 25 years of CC smoking, the Tainos stands out in the top 3 cigars I have ever smoked, and I say that with absolute conviction. Few cigars in my experience dip so deeply into my well of sensations as the Tainos do. As I recall the Tainos were discontinued in 2006 from the ERDM marca, and 2012 from the LGC marca, and now they fetch upwards of $1000 per box if you can find them on the secondary market, which I have only seen once in the last 4 or 5 years of hunting. On 12/29/2017 I bid farewell to this incredible vitola as I torched the last one in my collection to celebrate my birthday before going to the Florida Panthers vs. Montreal Canadiens hockey game. The hockey game was a letdown, but the cigar was stellar and every bit as good as the ones before it. I won't go into excruciating detail in this review because I wrote a review on the Tainos back in 2016 here. Two hours and 15 minutes of smoking bliss. Officially this is a Julieta No. 2, 47 by 7", which is often referred to as a Churchill cigar. It's a large feeling cigar, on the high end of my ring gauge limit, a cigar I like to smoke quietly in solitude as it always moves me into a euphoric trance, transporting me to another realm. Elements of tea, chai and creme, with an intoxicating Cuban twang aroma. This was, as in past experiences with this vitola, a memorable cigar that I will forever remember and cherish. As with the one I smoked on Christmas eve a year ago, I rate this a perfect 10 on my personal scale, the most refined near perfect smoking experience ever. I will miss you Tainos... R.I.P.

Cigar: El Rey Del Mundo Tainos Code: ECA MAY 02 Format: Churchill, 6.9" x 47 Smoke date: 12/24/2016 The ERDM brand is not a brand I have a lot of experience with, but about 12 years ago I got a fiver of Tainos in a trade. For one reason or another I forgot about them, and every couple of years I stumble into them buried in a box at the bottom of my humidor. As best as I can tell, the name Tainos originates from the Spanish explorers referring to the indigenous people they discovered inhabiting Cuba. In fact, the name; Cuba, is believed to originate from the Taino language; "cubao", which translates into "where fertile land is abundant". But don’t hold me to that. Every time I've gotten around to smoking one of these Tainos I've never been disappointed, in fact each one has been outstanding and each better than the one before. With only two remaining, I've been keeping them for special occasions, such as this Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, I was never able to get my hands on any more Tainos. So, as I prepared to light this, the second last specimen of its kind in my possession, I was bursting with anticipation and high expectations. The girth and length of Tainos are on the edge of my limits, it's a big cigar and requires planning for a 2+ hour smoke. But knowing the rewards in store, I was adequately prepared. The cigar feels evenly packed and expertly rolled. Cold draw gives a little resistance as I like it. The medium brown milk chocolate wrapper is smooth, leathery, and virtually seamless. Fire releases a wonderfully fragrant aroma, which is a big part of the delicious experience delivered by this cigar. I found myself cupping the cigar as I drew to capture and inhale the aroma from the smoke trail. Truly intoxicating. Tainos is loaded with Cuban twang, mild/medium bodied and bursting with flavor. It's not an extremely complex cigar, but the balance of flavors and aroma make it totally satisfying to my senses and my taste buds. If I could package this flavor and aroma into a bottle I would probably overdose on it because the profile is right in my sweet spot, evoking euphoria. I literally shut out everything around me and zoned in on this smoking experience, which this cigar demands. The burn was perfect, no touch ups, and smoke volume was voluminous. The flavor has elements of floral tea with a fruity and vanilla sweetness, it reminds me of sweet chai tea. The combination is perfectly balanced and absolutely wonderful. From lighting to nub this Tainos was consistent, smooth and creamy throughout. I couldn't script a better experience. Without hesitation, I do declare this among the top 3 best smoking experiences of 2016 for me. In fact, by a slight edge I'm rating this #1, a perfect 10 on my personal scale. That puts it a notch above the Lusitanias I had a few months ago, which ironically was from the same year with the same factory code (coincidence? I think not!). If I could find Tainos bearing this box code, or even this relative manufacture date, I would load up the truck. This was an incredible Christmas treat. Best of the season to you all my friends.

I think this cigar was still missing? La Gloria Cubana Tainos - 10 ct Box OSU ES00. The Ashes Size: Julieta No.2 (47 * 178) Smoking time: 2:00 Location: Primera The Saloon Construction and burn were good; relatively straight burn This is a medium strength cigar. Taste starts light/medium develops to medium at the end. Creamy cappuchino and caramel with some floral and hazelnut that comes through at the retrohale. During smoking you can feel the strength slowly increasing. A good Churchill cigar. To me on a scale in-between the Tainos of ERdM and fuller taste of the Monte No.2 Verdict: 8.75/10 A lovely Julieta No.2. Nutty, creamy cappuccino with some cedar and floral accents. Typical taste for the old style La Gloria Cubana line