Sancho Panza Sanchos HTM AVR 04

[MontrealRon]

The first cigar from a box of ten, bought at Varadero airport, in May '07.

The vitola is Gran Corona, 235 mm (9.3") x 47.

Discontinued in 2006, but still generally available.

A rather glossy colorado wrapper.

Rock hard to the touch, along the full length.

Expecting the worst, I clipped it to find an excellent draw.

The construction turned out to be quite good,

and the cigar burned evenly and steadily for over two hours.

Sunday evening is the only time I watch TV these days,

with two shows that I am following : HBO's Big Love, and Band of Brothers.

This is usually my time to pull out a Churchill, or sometimes a DC.

Since these are shows that I get rather engrossed in, the cigar kind of plays second fiddle.

Not the time for a powerful, in-your-face cigar that demands your full attention.

The Sancho was just what I needed.

From the first puffs to the last, it was tasty, but subtle.

Medium in both body and strength.

There was some good complexity to the taste, which centered on a dry woodiness,

with some delicate nuttiness, like macadamia or raw walnut,

overlayed with the toasty taste of high-grade tobacco.

Strangely, there was very little variation from beginning to end,

with no discernable change between thirds,

and only a very slight increase in strength.

I found the cigar to be fully mature, with no youthful harshness nor tannins.

Still, it was vigorous, and nowhere near its decline.

Its excellent balance leads me to believe that it would remain at this level for a long time.

The only other Sancho I ever smoked, though, was a '97, last year,

and frankly, I enjoyed the '04 much more.

Perhaps it was because my expectations were not very high,

and perhaps because I was not looking for a cigar to capture my full attention.

The Sancho perfectly suited my needs and my mood.

It went out with about 2 1/2" left, and I let it go.

Never got harsh nor bitter, though strangely the draw got tighter near the end.

This was a real "vieja guardia" or old-school cigar,

very different from the modern style.

Clearly not for everyone, especially those who judge a cigar by its strength,

and not a cigar to smoke very often either, as it could easily become boring,

yet I came away from the experience with a feeling of fullness and satisfaction.

How does one score such a cigar?

On a purely technical basis, perhaps an 86-87.

As for the pleasure it provided me, easily a 90.

[thechenman]

Nice review. I've often thought about trying a cigar of this size, but have just not gotten around to it. You brought up my biggest fear. Boredom. It sometimes happens to me when I smoke a Double Corona, so I can only imagine what tackling A SP Sancho of Monte A would be like.

[android]

I picked up a fiver of these years ago and have yet sat down to tackle one.

[Bahnofstrasse]

Have been enjoying the some 01's of these Sancho's over the past few years. You gave a tremendous synopsis of my experience with this cigar. Not for everyday, but a very enjoyable smoke when you have the time.

[Buch0]

Maybe a top choice of cigar where one is in long conversation with others and the topic of discussion doesn't centre around the cigar, or perhaps doesn't include the cigar at all? I find sometimes I think better while smoking a certain type of cigar, one that doesn't over power my train of thought or invade my social intention..

The Sancho Panza Sanchos in this case sounds like the perfect candidate for such an environment.

[ChanceSchmerr]

Agreed

If the damn thing will draw.........