c.ortiz108
The fly in the ointment.
Pinar Del Rio 1878 Reserva Dominicana Capa Oscura lancero
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Habano Oscuro
Binder: Dominican Habano
Filler: Dominican Corojo, Habano, and Criollo 98
Price: about $5.50 in boxes of 20
Resting 11 months.
This is my first lancero (and first PDR). I smoked this last month, thinking I should get at least one in before Lancero February was over!
It’s a pretty hefty feeling cigar, and now that it’s away from my other sticks it doesn’t seem so thin and reedy. A dark oily wrapper, exuding very pleasant floral, cedar, earth and cacao smells prelight.
The pigtail is so artfully done I hesitate to behead it… but sacrifices must be made. Smoking cigars is all about destroying the things we love, anyway. SNIKT!
I attempt a prelight draw through the closed foot, and it’s all barnyard manure and chocolate.
1st 3rd:
Pretty easy light with a blast of pepper. Surpisingly a lot of smoke for a small rg.
Some odd mineral/ozone flavor. The smoke smells better than it tastes – more chocolately.
Some distinctly floral notes coming in, which is good because the huge pepper taste was starting to overpower. The pepper has actually died away and it seems a little more balanced with cedar and grassy flavors. That gives it more of a medium body than the full-on powerhouse I thought I was getting into.
2nd 3rd:
Bitter espresso, along with a sourness. I’ve read reviews where sourdough bread is mentioned – maybe that’s what I’m getting.
Pepper still taking up residence in the back of my throat. Some charry, woody flavors that make it seem a little rustic and unrefined. Maybe I’m puffing too fast for a lancero. The wind almost blew it out of the ashtray, and in saving it from rolling on the floor I lost the ash….
This is one of those dehydrating cigars. I think it’s helping my hay fever!
Slowing down an unexpected creaminess arrives, and the whole thing is mellowing a little. Some unwelcome bitterness, though. Burn a little wavy, but that may just be the breeze.
Went out, and relighting there’s a really unpleasant chemical taste, like burning rubber. A couple more relights, but otherwise moving along okay…. But yeah, I’m getting kind of bored. I gotta walk Carlos the Wonderdog so I’ll take it with me.
3rd 3rd:
Kept going out, and the relights brought such bitter, tarry flavors it wasn’t worth the effort – plus the flavors were just not doing it for me, especially past the 1 hour mark. It started feeling like a chore so I ditched it just past halfway. These days I'm finding that persistence is sometimes not worth it. If I don't like a book in the first 30 pages, or a movie in the first 15 minutes, or a cigar in the first third, life's too short to slog my way through it. I gave this one about 1/3 too much of my time.
When I joined my first cigar forum, PDRs were briefly all the rage for budget smokes, and in fact I got this in my noob sampler trade over there. You don't hear much about them anymore, and if this stick is any indication I'm not too surprised. Of course, taste is subjective, so enjoy if you like 'em!
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Habano Oscuro
Binder: Dominican Habano
Filler: Dominican Corojo, Habano, and Criollo 98
Price: about $5.50 in boxes of 20
Resting 11 months.
This is my first lancero (and first PDR). I smoked this last month, thinking I should get at least one in before Lancero February was over!
It’s a pretty hefty feeling cigar, and now that it’s away from my other sticks it doesn’t seem so thin and reedy. A dark oily wrapper, exuding very pleasant floral, cedar, earth and cacao smells prelight.
The pigtail is so artfully done I hesitate to behead it… but sacrifices must be made. Smoking cigars is all about destroying the things we love, anyway. SNIKT!
I attempt a prelight draw through the closed foot, and it’s all barnyard manure and chocolate.
1st 3rd:
Pretty easy light with a blast of pepper. Surpisingly a lot of smoke for a small rg.
Some odd mineral/ozone flavor. The smoke smells better than it tastes – more chocolately.
Some distinctly floral notes coming in, which is good because the huge pepper taste was starting to overpower. The pepper has actually died away and it seems a little more balanced with cedar and grassy flavors. That gives it more of a medium body than the full-on powerhouse I thought I was getting into.
2nd 3rd:
Bitter espresso, along with a sourness. I’ve read reviews where sourdough bread is mentioned – maybe that’s what I’m getting.
Pepper still taking up residence in the back of my throat. Some charry, woody flavors that make it seem a little rustic and unrefined. Maybe I’m puffing too fast for a lancero. The wind almost blew it out of the ashtray, and in saving it from rolling on the floor I lost the ash….
This is one of those dehydrating cigars. I think it’s helping my hay fever!
Slowing down an unexpected creaminess arrives, and the whole thing is mellowing a little. Some unwelcome bitterness, though. Burn a little wavy, but that may just be the breeze.
Went out, and relighting there’s a really unpleasant chemical taste, like burning rubber. A couple more relights, but otherwise moving along okay…. But yeah, I’m getting kind of bored. I gotta walk Carlos the Wonderdog so I’ll take it with me.
3rd 3rd:
Kept going out, and the relights brought such bitter, tarry flavors it wasn’t worth the effort – plus the flavors were just not doing it for me, especially past the 1 hour mark. It started feeling like a chore so I ditched it just past halfway. These days I'm finding that persistence is sometimes not worth it. If I don't like a book in the first 30 pages, or a movie in the first 15 minutes, or a cigar in the first third, life's too short to slog my way through it. I gave this one about 1/3 too much of my time.
When I joined my first cigar forum, PDRs were briefly all the rage for budget smokes, and in fact I got this in my noob sampler trade over there. You don't hear much about them anymore, and if this stick is any indication I'm not too surprised. Of course, taste is subjective, so enjoy if you like 'em!
