Sancho Panza Non Plus 18 (MRSCW#2)

[bishop532]

There’s a handful of current Cuban brands I’ve yet to try - QdO, El Rey del Mundo, Cuaba, and Sancho Panza. I’m knocking Sancho off that list this afternoon, and looking forward to it as I love the aroma coming off the foot from this thing. I’m going into this with very little idea of what to expect, beyond the knowledge that the Non Plus is on the milder side. 

I’m also aware that they eliminated this vitola (it’s a mareva), leaving the marca as yet another line composed of a single production cigar - but I’ll take that with an Empire State Building-sized grain of salt. As ever, they got rid of the smaller gauge smoke and kept the larger one. I doubt it had much of anything to do with how it was rated or how it smoked.

The wrapper is wrinkly, milk chocolate-colored, and a tad on the rustic side. It feels pretty firm. The scent is reminiscent of an antique shop or maybe a well-kept, and dry, cellar; I can pick out cedar, earth, and tobacco, but there’s a lot more to it than those three notes. There’s some light sweetness, hay, and good tobacco on the cold draw, but unfortunately that cold draw is rather tight. Some quick work with my cigar tool puts it back on track. 

Lighting up, I taste hay, earth, and light vegetal notes. After ten minutes or so, there is cocoa and a sort of dry mineral note as well. The retro is earthy and savory. It is indeed a mild smoke so far. Construction is pretty nice - still a little bit of a firm draw for my liking, but it’s definitely nothing to affect the smoke too much.

The second third moves further into the earthy and mineral-focused areas, but underlined by a delicious chocolate note and some woody flavors. There’s also a rather salty aftertaste, which is an interesting contrast with the sweet chocolate. The mouthfeel is kind of dry, though, which I’m not a big fan of. Right around the halfway point smoke production ramps up, and the flavors become much sharper: Mocha coffee, cedar, salty/savory, and underlying  sweetness like nougat. It’s fantastic - these chocolate notes are dead on chocolate malt flavor. 

Heading the final third, the cedar moves out in front of the chocolate malt, and there’s a new floral note underneath along with coffee and cream. The retro retains the earth and coffee flavors from earlier on. The wrapper looks like it wants to split but it’s holding on okay so far. The band comes off with no trouble, and the burn line is still holding strong.

At about an inch and a half the wrapper splits, but it’s still smoking fine. There is a light white pepper note, coffee with cream, cedar, and floral sweetness. The retro is salty and doughy, with earth.  I nub it with less than an inch to go. The flavors at the end are smoky woods, coffee, and hints of spicy chocolate and floral notes.

As usual, I think Habanos made a terrible call getting rid of this smoke. Who do they have making these decisions, the refs from the Gonzaga-Arkansas game 😉? Then again, I don’t think I would ever get rid of any sizes if it were up to me, and if I did I certainly would not keep replacing them with Robustos, Petit Robustos, and Montescos. 

At any rate, I thought this was a really good cigar. It started out kind of run-of-the-mill but then developed into something delightfully flavorful. I’d say the first half was an 88 and the second half was a 94. The construction limped along but never broke until the end. Strength wise, I’d call it more medium than mild, while the body was medium to full. I would definitely smoke these again, assuming I get the chance. 

Total Smoking Time: 1 hour 8 minutes 

Score: 92/100

[Monterey]

In theory, they cut cigars based on sales figures.  This was never a popular cigar.  I always found this cigar to be of poor quality.  Though I'm glad you enjoyed yours.  Until it was discontinued, you would find these in ample supplies.  Once it was cut, everyone went on a buying spree.  In November of 2019 I was in Havana and I found boxes dating back to 2016 while most cigars were 2019.  Given how poorly they sold, I was surprised they weren't discontinued years and years earlier.

Nonetheless, great review!

[SCgarman]

11 hours ago, bishop532 said:

There’s a handful of current Cuban brands I’ve yet to try - QdO, El Rey del Mundo, Cuaba, and Sancho Panza. I’m knocking Sancho off that list this afternoon, and looking forward to it as I love the aroma coming off the foot from this thing. I’m going into this with very little idea of what to expect, beyond the knowledge that the Non Plus is on the milder side. 

I’m also aware that they eliminated this vitola (it’s a mareva), leaving the marca as yet another line composed of a single production cigar - but I’ll take that with an Empire State Building-sized grain of salt. As ever, they got rid of the smaller gauge smoke and kept the larger one. I doubt it had much of anything to do with how it was rated or how it smoked.

The wrapper is wrinkly, milk chocolate-colored, and a tad on the rustic side. It feels pretty firm. The scent is reminiscent of an antique shop or maybe a well-kept, and dry, cellar; I can pick out cedar, earth, and tobacco, but there’s a lot more to it than those three notes. There’s some light sweetness, hay, and good tobacco on the cold draw, but unfortunately that cold draw is rather tight. Some quick work with my cigar tool puts it back on track. 

Lighting up, I taste hay, earth, and light vegetal notes. After ten minutes or so, there is cocoa and a sort of dry mineral note as well. The retro is earthy and savory. It is indeed a mild smoke so far. Construction is pretty nice - still a little bit of a firm draw for my liking, but it’s definitely nothing to affect the smoke too much.

The second third moves further into the earthy and mineral-focused areas, but underlined by a delicious chocolate note and some woody flavors. There’s also a rather salty aftertaste, which is an interesting contrast with the sweet chocolate. The mouthfeel is kind of dry, though, which I’m not a big fan of. Right around the halfway point smoke production ramps up, and the flavors become much sharper: Mocha coffee, cedar, salty/savory, and underlying  sweetness like nougat. It’s fantastic - these chocolate notes are dead on chocolate malt flavor. 

Heading the final third, the cedar moves out in front of the chocolate malt, and there’s a new floral note underneath along with coffee and cream. The retro retains the earth and coffee flavors from earlier on. The wrapper looks like it wants to split but it’s holding on okay so far. The band comes off with no trouble, and the burn line is still holding strong.

At about an inch and a half the wrapper splits, but it’s still smoking fine. There is a light white pepper note, coffee with cream, cedar, and floral sweetness. The retro is salty and doughy, with earth.  I nub it with less than an inch to go. The flavors at the end are smoky woods, coffee, and hints of spicy chocolate and floral notes.

As usual, I think Habanos made a terrible call getting rid of this smoke. Who do they have making these decisions, the refs from the Gonzaga-Arkansas game 😉? Then again, I don’t think I would ever get rid of any sizes if it were up to me, and if I did I certainly would not keep replacing them with Robustos, Petit Robustos, and Montescos. 

At any rate, I thought this was a really good cigar. It started out kind of run-of-the-mill but then developed into something delightfully flavorful. I’d say the first half was an 88 and the second half was a 94. The construction limped along but never broke until the end. Strength wise, I’d call it more medium than mild, while the body was medium to full. I would definitely smoke these again, assuming I get the chance. 

Total Smoking Time: 1 hour 8 minutes 

Score: 92/100

It is a good cigar, but also an acquired taste as the cigar seems to have been dipped in salt. But once you smoke several the salt, cream, wood profile really starts to be appealing. I have a partial box left but was late to the Sancho party. Also have a box of the Belicosos, and they are another fantastic cigar. Unfortunately who knows how much longer it will be in production either??!!

[NapaNolan]

I've only had a few Sancho Panzas but what I remember about them was a distinct browning-ground-beef flavor/aroma.

[bishop532]

10 hours ago, Monterey said:

In theory, they cut cigars based on sales figures.  This was never a popular cigar.  I always found this cigar to be of poor quality.  Though I'm glad you enjoyed yours.  Until it was discontinued, you would find these in ample supplies.  Once it was cut, everyone went on a buying spree.  In November of 2019 I was in Havana and I found boxes dating back to 2016 while most cigars were 2019.  Given how poorly they sold, I was surprised they weren't discontinued years and years earlier.

Nonetheless, great review!

Why would they do that? What does sales have to do with anything? 😁 I get that. But like I said, if it were up to me I’d never cut anything. And either way, I’m not sure why you need to pare these lines down to almost nothing. Why would eliminating choices so you only sell a million robustos and Robusto extras in every marca help you appeal to the greatest number of people? That’s not really a sound business decision to me, but what do I know? 

The other thing I think it’s important to keep in mind is that qualifier you started your comment with…”in theory”. In theory, Habanos makes good decisions. In reality…

 

8 hours ago, NapaNolan said:

I've only had a few Sancho Panzas but what I remember about them was a distinct browning-ground-beef flavor/aroma.

I did not pick that up at all. I did get that once with a non Cuban. Not my favorite flavor in a cigar, but it is different, haha. 

 

10 hours ago, Monterey said:

In theory, they cut cigars based on sales figures.  This was never a popular cigar.  I always found this cigar to be of poor quality.  Though I'm glad you enjoyed yours.  Until it was discontinued, you would find these in ample supplies.  Once it was cut, everyone went on a buying spree.  In November of 2019 I was in Havana and I found boxes dating back to 2016 while most cigars were 2019.  Given how poorly they sold, I was surprised they weren't discontinued years and years earlier.

Nonetheless, great review!

Also, just want to say, I know quality has gone up and down over time. Totally possible that I just lucked out and got a decent one of these. My argument is less about Sancho Non Plus and more about the lack of options in general. 

[Frinkiac7]

A very memorable cigar. I did a box split with someone years ago (I think they were 2012 box year) and always enjoyed them. Not an everyday cigar by any means but the salty flavor was very unique and I enjoyed it. Have never seen the belicosos in stock anywhere. Never had one.

[Monterey]

12 hours ago, bishop532 said:

I get that. But like I said, if it were up to me I’d never cut anything. And either way, I’m not sure why you need to pare these lines down to almost nothing. Why would eliminating choices so you only sell a million robustos and Robusto extras in every marca help you appeal to the greatest number of people? That’s not really a sound business decision to me, but what do I know? 

 

You have to think prior to the current situation.  Back when things weren't constantly in short supply.  Why would any business make a product, like a non-plus, where few bought them?  It's not like they are letting the tobacco rot.  Instead, they use the tobacco on popular cigars that actual would sell!  Basic business 101. Cutting this cigar is one of the few times Cuba did something right!  The non-plus never held a candle to its FAR superior belicoso.

Plus there are plenty of petit corona options still available.  I'm pretty sure cutting non-plus only improved the view of the quality of cuban cigars!  Cutting SLR DC, Bolivar CG among many others of course didn't help.

[KCCubano]

2 hours ago, Monterey said:

You have to think prior to the current situation.  Back when things weren't constantly in short supply.  Why would any business make a product, like a non-plus, where few bought them?  It's not like they are letting the tobacco rot.  Instead, they use the tobacco on popular cigars that actual would sell!  Basic business 101. Cutting this cigar is one of the few times Cuba did something right!  The non-plus never held a candle to its FAR superior belicoso.

Plus there are plenty of petit corona options still available.  I'm pretty sure cutting non-plus only improved the view of the quality of cuban cigars!  Cutting SLR DC, Bolivar CG among many others of course didn't help.

I have been smoking Petit Coronas since late 90s. It is my favorite vitola. Not near as many as there used to be. Among my favorites were ERDM, RAPC, Upmann, Punch and JLPC. All gone. I see PC availability as very limited in whole. I do see Punch will have the another PC in the Triunfos coming out in 2035!

[Corylax18]

1 minute ago, KCCubano said:

I have been smoking Petit Coronas since late 90s. It is my favorite vitola. Not near as many as there used to be. Among my favorites were ERDM, RAPC, Upmann, Punch and JLPC. All gone. I see PC availability as very limited in whole. I do see Punch will have the another PC in the Triunfos coming out in 2035!

True, when you take the 14 RYJ PC's out of the equation, the selection isn't huge. It seems like such a "Staple" size, I don't understand why they've gotten rid of so many of them.

2 hours ago, Monterey said:

You have to think prior to the current situation.  Back when things weren't constantly in short supply.  Why would any business make a product, like a non-plus, where few bought them?  It's not like they are letting the tobacco rot.  Instead, they use the tobacco on popular cigars that actual would sell!  Basic business 101. Cutting this cigar is one of the few times Cuba did something right!  The non-plus never held a candle to its FAR superior belicoso.

Plus there are plenty of petit corona options still available.  I'm pretty sure cutting non-plus only improved the view of the quality of cuban cigars!  Cutting SLR DC, Bolivar CG among many others of course didn't help.

I agree with pretty much everything here, but I wish there was a option B; Make the cigars more consistently.

Your explanation doesn't explain all discontinuations though. The Upmann PC for example, it was cut and essentially replaced with the Half Corona. Very similar input costs, similar sales price (at one point). I'd love to see the units/year of each model. The last couple years make an apples to apples comparison tough, but I wonder if they really sell that many more Half Coronas than they did PCs.

[KCCubano]

16 minutes ago, Corylax18 said:

True, when you take the 14 RYJ PC's out of the equation, the selection isn't huge. It seems like such a "Staple" size, I don't understand why they've gotten rid of so many of them.

I agree with pretty much everything here, but I wish there was a option B; Make the cigars more consistently.

Your explanation doesn't explain all discontinuations though. The Upmann PC for example, it was cut and essentially replaced with the Half Corona. Very similar input costs, similar sales price (at one point). I'd love to see the units/year of each model. The last couple years make an apples to apples comparison tough, but I wonder if they really sell that many more Half Coronas than they did PCs.

I did smoke a couple Romeo Club Kings recently from initial release. With a couple years down they were quite pleasant. No cherry notes but I did find some floral sweetness and roasted nuts. For my taste i prefer the Petit Royales over any of the current Romeo PC offerings. 

[jakebarnes]

2 hours ago, KCCubano said:

I have been smoking Petit Coronas since late 90s. It is my favorite vitola. Not near as many as there used to be. Among my favorites were ERDM, RAPC, Upmann, Punch and JLPC. All gone. I see PC availability as very limited in whole. I do see Punch will have the another PC in the Triunfos coming out in 2035!

My favorite vitola as well with the lonsdale. Feel like I am living on an island right now with the options drying up. I've supplemented with corona gorda to at least keep myself happy, but would love to see even more options there as well. 

Shame the smaller ring gauges are going by the wayside. 

[SCgarman]

5 hours ago, jakebarnes said:

My favorite vitola as well with the lonsdale. Feel like I am living on an island right now with the options drying up. I've supplemented with corona gorda to at least keep myself happy, but would love to see even more options there as well. 

Shame the smaller ring gauges are going by the wayside. 

For non Cuban have you tried the Padron 1964 Superior? Granted they are much more expensive now than pre-covid but that is a good Lonsdale sized NC cigar. 

[Monterey]

7 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

True, when you take the 14 RYJ PC's out of the equation, the selection isn't huge. It seems like such a "Staple" size, I don't understand why they've gotten rid of so many of them.

I agree with pretty much everything here, but I wish there was a option B; Make the cigars more consistently.

Your explanation doesn't explain all discontinuations though. The Upmann PC for example, it was cut and essentially replaced with the Half Corona. Very similar input costs, similar sales price (at one point). I'd love to see the units/year of each model. The last couple years make an apples to apples comparison tough, but I wonder if they really sell that many more Half Coronas than they did PCs.

No clue for sure.  But they were also widely available (HUPC) prior to cancellation.  As soon as they were canceled, everyone was snatching them up.  Given how many cigars H.Upmann has, I'm sure they did that in part to consolidate the line.  Unlike the non-plus, the HUPC was a wonderful cigar.  Count me in the group that is sad to see it go.

[SCgarman]

1 hour ago, Monterey said:

No clue for sure.  But they were also widely available (HUPC) prior to cancellation.  As soon as they were canceled, everyone was snatching them up.  Given how many cigars H.Upmann has, I'm sure they did that in part to consolidate the line.  Unlike the non-plus, the HUPC was a wonderful cigar.  Count me in the group that is sad to see it go.

And unfortunately nothing else in the Upmann line to replace it. The Regalias are junk. PC was a great cigar. Another HSA F-Up

 

9 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

True, when you take the 14 RYJ PC's out of the equation, the selection isn't huge. It seems like such a "Staple" size, I don't understand why they've gotten rid of so many of them.

I agree with pretty much everything here, but I wish there was a option B; Make the cigars more consistently.

Your explanation doesn't explain all discontinuations though. The Upmann PC for example, it was cut and essentially replaced with the Half Corona. Very similar input costs, similar sales price (at one point). I'd love to see the units/year of each model. The last couple years make an apples to apples comparison tough, but I wonder if they really sell that many more Half Coronas than they did PCs.

The half corona is what, a 30 minute duration cigar? Totally a waste of time and the size makes no sense. I want to enjoy a cigar for at least 50-60 minutes which a Mareva does perfectly. 

[bishop532]

10 hours ago, Monterey said:

You have to think prior to the current situation.  Back when things weren't constantly in short supply.  Why would any business make a product, like a non-plus, where few bought them?  It's not like they are letting the tobacco rot.  Instead, they use the tobacco on popular cigars that actual would sell!  Basic business 101. Cutting this cigar is one of the few times Cuba did something right!  The non-plus never held a candle to its FAR superior belicoso.

Plus there are plenty of petit corona options still available.  I'm pretty sure cutting non-plus only improved the view of the quality of cuban cigars!  Cutting SLR DC, Bolivar CG among many others of course didn't help.

Like I said above, my argument had less to do with the non plus - which I’ve admittedly only tried once - and more to do with the HSA decision to trim the lines to the ridiculous point they have. I don’t see this as “business 101”. They are losing business because they are oversimplifying their offerings to the point of blandness. There are 500 choices between 50 and 54 rg, and only like 12 under 40 Rg, there’s only a handful of PCs and lonsdales (as discussed above), and even Churchills have been trimmed down to what - 3 options? It’s ridiculous. I’m sorry, I do not see HSA as doing it right. 

[Monterey]

46 minutes ago, bishop532 said:

They are losing business because they are oversimplifying their offerings to the point of blandness.

Huh?

They could triple their production and still sell out.  What business loss are you talking about?  Your, or my, opinion about size means nothing.  I'm a churchill man myself.  They make what the customers want and demand.  And today's customers want fatter cigars.  You can not like it, but saying they are losing business is flat our wrong!

[bishop532]

1 hour ago, Monterey said:

They make what the customers want and demand.  And today's customers want fatter cigars. 

No, they make a limited selection of the most popular sizes, and ignore the ones that don’t fit the image they are trying to create. 

A LOT of people buy Monte 4s. By your argument, HSA should be making tons and tons of PCs. Where are they? This is about trend chasing, IMO. Big ring gauge is “cool” right now, so that’s what HSA is making. 

[Monterey]

10 hours ago, bishop532 said:

No, they make a limited selection of the most popular sizes, and ignore the ones that don’t fit the image they are trying to create. 

A LOT of people buy Monte 4s. By your argument, HSA should be making tons and tons of PCs. Where are they? This is about trend chasing, IMO. Big ring gauge is “cool” right now, so that’s what HSA is making. 

Cuba is more considered about being "cool" vs bringing in cash.

Can't argue with that!🙄

[bishop532]

8 hours ago, Monterey said:

Cuba is more considered about being "cool" vs bringing in cash.

Can't argue with that

Exactly! Glad you saw my point! Been fun.