I did a review of the larger Corona Tubos at http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php?t=62494, and this is a review of its smaller sibling, the Small Panetela Tubos.
Balmoral is a Dutch cigar maker who doesn't seem to be too well known outside of the Netherlands, but given my experience of their machine mades, I think they're really worth try. I'd imagine that their premium cigars would be so much better.
Construction:
This is a 4.4" x 31 cigar with a Dominican Olor wrapper and Ecuadoran shade wrapper, enclosing short filler tobacco. As with its larger sibling, the wrapper is somewhat dry looking, with one or two prominent veins, lumpy, but with tight seams. This is a machine-made cigar, with a pre-cut cap.
Straight off the foot smells somewhat better than the Corona, with a scent of tobacco and tea leaves. The prelight draw has the same scents, and the draw is slightly loose but overall quite nice. The body feels a little soft and under-filled.
Opening and 1/3:
Just like the Corona the opening is sweet, but immediately the pepperiness is apparent. The flavors are a little stronger on this little guy, probably because of its thinner format. There is immediately a slight earthiness which was absent in the Corona, and the pepper remained throughout instead of fading in and out.
The smoke coming off the foot is very pleasant and woody. There is a slight sting on the retrohale, but lots of nice cedar.
I read that the sweetness comes from the olor binder. It is a very pleasant taste. Not sugary but gentle.
The finish has notes of vanilla and latte, with a stronger nutty flavor than the Corona. Very nice indeed.
2/3:
The smoke profile has not changed much except that the vanilla has disappeared and the pepper has increased. Smoke is voluminous and oily, much better than the Corona I had. I'm not sure if this is normal or if the Corona was a little bit dry, but so far this has been a very nice smoke.
3/3:
The pepper is now quite strong. Still nice notes of nuts and latte, and the sweetness has remained throughout the entire stick.
I certainly enjoyed this stick more than the Corona. I think smoking it at KLCC Park in Kuala Lumpur - one of my favorite cities - facing the lake on a cool morning might have helped.
I smoked this down to the last inch, taking about 25 minutes to do so.
Online sources sell these at EUR42.50 for a box of 25 or just over $2 a stick. Given the better flavors and cheaper price I'd pick this over the Corona. The only down-side is that the smoke evolution is a little less complex, but overall though it's more pleasant.
I rank this stick as a mild-medium bodied smoke with a mild strength. Overall I'd rate this about an 82, very similar to the Oliva Serie G Cameroon Cigarillo, one of my favorite short smokes.
If you're the sort who'd shell out US$10 for a Habanos Cohiba Panetela, you should really give this a try. Not quite as complex or elegant, but very enjoyable nonetheless at 20% of the price. Construction is also miles ahead, without the God-awful tight draw that seems to dog most Cohiba Panetelas.
Balmoral is a Dutch cigar maker who doesn't seem to be too well known outside of the Netherlands, but given my experience of their machine mades, I think they're really worth try. I'd imagine that their premium cigars would be so much better.
Construction:
This is a 4.4" x 31 cigar with a Dominican Olor wrapper and Ecuadoran shade wrapper, enclosing short filler tobacco. As with its larger sibling, the wrapper is somewhat dry looking, with one or two prominent veins, lumpy, but with tight seams. This is a machine-made cigar, with a pre-cut cap.
Straight off the foot smells somewhat better than the Corona, with a scent of tobacco and tea leaves. The prelight draw has the same scents, and the draw is slightly loose but overall quite nice. The body feels a little soft and under-filled.
Opening and 1/3:
Just like the Corona the opening is sweet, but immediately the pepperiness is apparent. The flavors are a little stronger on this little guy, probably because of its thinner format. There is immediately a slight earthiness which was absent in the Corona, and the pepper remained throughout instead of fading in and out.
The smoke coming off the foot is very pleasant and woody. There is a slight sting on the retrohale, but lots of nice cedar.
I read that the sweetness comes from the olor binder. It is a very pleasant taste. Not sugary but gentle.
The finish has notes of vanilla and latte, with a stronger nutty flavor than the Corona. Very nice indeed.
2/3:
The smoke profile has not changed much except that the vanilla has disappeared and the pepper has increased. Smoke is voluminous and oily, much better than the Corona I had. I'm not sure if this is normal or if the Corona was a little bit dry, but so far this has been a very nice smoke.
3/3:
The pepper is now quite strong. Still nice notes of nuts and latte, and the sweetness has remained throughout the entire stick.
I certainly enjoyed this stick more than the Corona. I think smoking it at KLCC Park in Kuala Lumpur - one of my favorite cities - facing the lake on a cool morning might have helped.
I smoked this down to the last inch, taking about 25 minutes to do so.
Online sources sell these at EUR42.50 for a box of 25 or just over $2 a stick. Given the better flavors and cheaper price I'd pick this over the Corona. The only down-side is that the smoke evolution is a little less complex, but overall though it's more pleasant.
I rank this stick as a mild-medium bodied smoke with a mild strength. Overall I'd rate this about an 82, very similar to the Oliva Serie G Cameroon Cigarillo, one of my favorite short smokes.
If you're the sort who'd shell out US$10 for a Habanos Cohiba Panetela, you should really give this a try. Not quite as complex or elegant, but very enjoyable nonetheless at 20% of the price. Construction is also miles ahead, without the God-awful tight draw that seems to dog most Cohiba Panetelas.