SCDLH El Principe LGR JUL 17 (SSSTRW)

[Silverstix]

I am posting virtually the same review as RDB did a couple days ago.

 

I have smoked 22 from this box now. I have 17 of them down as being 88-90 point cigars. The other 5, including this one, have been complete fails.

 

A good looking little cigar, as this whole box has been. There is a wrapper with sheen, prominent vein, a nice draw, sweet on the cold draw. Fires up and starts off very nicely.

 

Soon after, about 3/4” in, things went a little haywire with the burn. This immediately effected the flavor, turning from a sweet toasty tobacco to a dark earthy - frankly bitter - profile. Even the aroma was different. When I lit it up she actually complimented the smell.....when it started to get bitter I asked how it smelled.....she said like cigarettes. Thought that was interesting.

 

Anyway, there were a couple of moments where the 90 point cigar made an appearance, but they disappeared as fast as they came. This was one of the 5 duds in this box....either a bad burn, terrible taste, or both. The other 17 have been great cigars.

 

This cigar: 75/100

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[RDB]

Sorry about that brother! Yours looks a lot nicer than mine did. But you know, it’s the erratic stimulus that keeps us coming back. I reckon they put a few duds in each box on purpose.

[NSXCIGAR]

Don't know why I haven't mentioned this yet but I've not been overly impressed with much of the LGR El Principes. I think both EML and TOS were superior in general. 17-18 has been a bit of a dropoff. I never asked @JohnS if he's observed the same.

Now, LGR La Fuerza on the other hand has been outstanding. 

Luckily I have another TOS box of El Principe on the way. 

[JohnS]

@NSXCIGAR, I would be inclined to agree with all those observations. LGR SCdLH El Principes were a grade lower than EML/TOS varieties for me. LGR La Fuerza has been outstanding.

[NSXCIGAR]

29 minutes ago, JohnS said:

@NSXCIGAR, I would be inclined to agree with all those observations. LGR SCdLH El Principes were a grade lower than EML/TOS varieties for me. LGR La Fuerza has been outstanding.

Have to love Cuba. EML/TOS El Principe great, La Fuerza mediocre. LGR El Principe mediocre, La Fuerza great.

I think there might be two different people in charge of these two cigars...

[djrey]

Damn, and I have a Box of LGR December 17 on the way too 

[Silverstix]

Damn, and I have a Box of LGR December 17 on the way too 

17 out of 22 from this box I have down as being 88-90 point cigars


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[joey rockets]

I hit this post because I was nearly finished with a morning El Principe which is a near daily cigar for me.  There are occasional construction issues that I blame on the wrapper but today, it was perfect.

[cfc1016]

15 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Don't know why I haven't mentioned this yet but I've not been overly impressed with much of the LGR El Principes. I think both EML and TOS were superior in general. 17-18 has been a bit of a dropoff. I never asked @JohnS if he's observed the same.

Now, LGR La Fuerza on the other hand has been outstanding. 

Luckily I have another TOS box of El Principe on the way. 

 

15 hours ago, JohnS said:

@NSXCIGAR, I would be inclined to agree with all those observations. LGR SCdLH El Principes were a grade lower than EML/TOS varieties for me. LGR La Fuerza has been outstanding.

These two comments make me glad i went deep on TOS 16s when they were cheap.

14 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Have to love Cuba. EML/TOS El Principe great, La Fuerza mediocre. LGR El Principe mediocre, La Fuerza great.

I think there might be two different people in charge of these two cigars...

I've noticed enough consistency in the TOS 16s to convince myself that there is a single roller, or small group of rollers, who had produced the majority of the TOS 16s that I've had/still have. Let's figuratively refer to them as Roller X. I open a fresh box of TOS 16 principes, and I see Roller X's calling card all over it - and maybe a couple that look less distinctly like their handiwork.

It would not surprise me AT ALL - even having never looked at, let alone smoked, the fuerzas in question, if Roller X had been promoted from the minutos line. I'd bet their signature is all over the fuerzas now, and whoever is the new minuto-member of the rolling team, is unable to reproduce the fruits of Roller X's experience.

[NSXCIGAR]

29 minutes ago, cfc1016 said:

It would not surprise me AT ALL - even having never looked at, let alone smoked, the fuerzas in question, if Roller X had been promoted from the minutos line. I'd bet their signature is all over the fuerzas now, and whoever is the new minuto-member of the rolling team, is unable to reproduce the fruits of Roller X's experience.

Possibly. The construction on LGR EPs has also been a step back in addition to something going on with the tobacco. Maybe blend, maybe rolling it poorly. But I've noticed in increase in bitterness and a lack of character in the LGR EPs. The LF construction has been excellent as well as the tobacco. I've said before, they're like big EML/TOS El Principes. I'd say about a third of them are maybe not quite as rich as an El Principe would be but the EP is actually a pretty rich blend. And the size of the LF compensates a bit after the second third.