WB asked me to post this review on BOTL when I finished it for Cigarinhand.com, so here it is dude!
Today's review is of a cigar I haven't heard a lot about yet. This is the debut cigar from Fred Schrader of Schrader Cellar Wines out of Napa Valley and is being made in the small (pretty much unknown) Para Ti Factory outside of Santiago, Dominican Republic. This cigar is being distributed by Pete Johnson of Tatuaje cigars, but he has nothing to do with the actual cigar blend/production. From what I've heard, Pete is friends with Fred and is just helping him with the distribution. This cigar has a rather complex make-up of tobaccos. The wrapper is a 2001 Colorado Habano (Viso) from Honduras, the binder is a 2008 Criollo '98 (Seco) from the Dominican Republic, and the filler is a blend of 2008 Criollo '98 (Viso) from the Dominican Rebublic, 2005 Havana Vuelta Arriba (Ligero) from the Dominican, and 2001 Corojo (Ligero) from the Dominican Republic.
Only 11,500 of these were made and are presented in a large box of 10 cigars, each in their own coffin. When you open the box, the coffins tilt up, and when you open the coffin, the cigar tilts up. I have to admit, it's pretty slick looking packaging. This cigar measures in at 7.5 X 56, the 56 measurement being taken at the bulbous end. The cigar also has a tissue paper wrapped head.
The wrapper on this big cigar is pretty veiny and bumpy but the roll seems pretty solid. This cigar gets pretty thin at the head, much thinner than your typical salomon/figurado. There are a few larger veins that look like Frankensteins stitches on the wrapper. The prelight draw shows light tobacco flavors with a little cocoa and floral taste. Like most cigars with a nipple foot like this, it takes a little while to get going. You have to get into the bulbous foot before you start getting a large enough amount of smoke to start getting an idea of what this cigar is all about. This cigar starts out pretty smooth and fairly mild with a little leather and floral flavor and some sweetness on the finish. As I get past the bulb at the foot, a light woody flavor joins the profile and the ash fell at a little over an inch. The burn is slow and fairly even so far and the ash is on the flaky side. There is a slight citrus zest present in the flavor profile as well. This seems to be a fairly well balanced cigar. There is some nuttyness to this cigar, somewhere between almonds and walnuts. I suddenly noticed a really bitter flavor on my lips, looked at the cigar and noticed some major tar buildup at the head. After clipping a little more off it seems to have fixed the buildup issue.
As I reach the halfway point, the flavors have remained pretty consistent. There is a nice complexity to this medium bodied cigar and it is definitely smooth. The retrohale brings even more woody flavors out of the smoke, as well as a sharp tannic edge and more nuttyness. Nearing the end the floral flavor and sweetness are gone, with that wood and nutty flavor taking over.
With 2 ligeros in the filler I expected a little more body or perhaps a little spice, but this ended up being a solid medium bodied cigar with light complex flavors. This was a nice cigar, but i was left wanting more out of it. My biggest problem about this cigar is the price. I try not to think about the price of a cigar when reviewing, just how the cigar tastes and performs, but this is a $25 dollar cigar and its hard not to think about that when smoking it. Sure, this is a limited edition cigar, but this is also the first cigar I have seen from this company and introducing yourself to the cigar industry with a $25 cigar is a real gamble. There is a normal line available as well called Para Ti, but the Schrader was the first cigar I have seen from this guy. Having the first product released be at this price point seems like a very wine industry thing to do, and I have a feeling it may not go over so well in the cigar world. This was by no means a bad cigar, it was pretty pleasant, but I can't see myself buying another when there are so many other reasonably priced cigars available that do more for me.
Today's review is of a cigar I haven't heard a lot about yet. This is the debut cigar from Fred Schrader of Schrader Cellar Wines out of Napa Valley and is being made in the small (pretty much unknown) Para Ti Factory outside of Santiago, Dominican Republic. This cigar is being distributed by Pete Johnson of Tatuaje cigars, but he has nothing to do with the actual cigar blend/production. From what I've heard, Pete is friends with Fred and is just helping him with the distribution. This cigar has a rather complex make-up of tobaccos. The wrapper is a 2001 Colorado Habano (Viso) from Honduras, the binder is a 2008 Criollo '98 (Seco) from the Dominican Republic, and the filler is a blend of 2008 Criollo '98 (Viso) from the Dominican Rebublic, 2005 Havana Vuelta Arriba (Ligero) from the Dominican, and 2001 Corojo (Ligero) from the Dominican Republic.
Only 11,500 of these were made and are presented in a large box of 10 cigars, each in their own coffin. When you open the box, the coffins tilt up, and when you open the coffin, the cigar tilts up. I have to admit, it's pretty slick looking packaging. This cigar measures in at 7.5 X 56, the 56 measurement being taken at the bulbous end. The cigar also has a tissue paper wrapped head.
The wrapper on this big cigar is pretty veiny and bumpy but the roll seems pretty solid. This cigar gets pretty thin at the head, much thinner than your typical salomon/figurado. There are a few larger veins that look like Frankensteins stitches on the wrapper. The prelight draw shows light tobacco flavors with a little cocoa and floral taste. Like most cigars with a nipple foot like this, it takes a little while to get going. You have to get into the bulbous foot before you start getting a large enough amount of smoke to start getting an idea of what this cigar is all about. This cigar starts out pretty smooth and fairly mild with a little leather and floral flavor and some sweetness on the finish. As I get past the bulb at the foot, a light woody flavor joins the profile and the ash fell at a little over an inch. The burn is slow and fairly even so far and the ash is on the flaky side. There is a slight citrus zest present in the flavor profile as well. This seems to be a fairly well balanced cigar. There is some nuttyness to this cigar, somewhere between almonds and walnuts. I suddenly noticed a really bitter flavor on my lips, looked at the cigar and noticed some major tar buildup at the head. After clipping a little more off it seems to have fixed the buildup issue.
As I reach the halfway point, the flavors have remained pretty consistent. There is a nice complexity to this medium bodied cigar and it is definitely smooth. The retrohale brings even more woody flavors out of the smoke, as well as a sharp tannic edge and more nuttyness. Nearing the end the floral flavor and sweetness are gone, with that wood and nutty flavor taking over.
With 2 ligeros in the filler I expected a little more body or perhaps a little spice, but this ended up being a solid medium bodied cigar with light complex flavors. This was a nice cigar, but i was left wanting more out of it. My biggest problem about this cigar is the price. I try not to think about the price of a cigar when reviewing, just how the cigar tastes and performs, but this is a $25 dollar cigar and its hard not to think about that when smoking it. Sure, this is a limited edition cigar, but this is also the first cigar I have seen from this company and introducing yourself to the cigar industry with a $25 cigar is a real gamble. There is a normal line available as well called Para Ti, but the Schrader was the first cigar I have seen from this guy. Having the first product released be at this price point seems like a very wine industry thing to do, and I have a feeling it may not go over so well in the cigar world. This was by no means a bad cigar, it was pretty pleasant, but I can't see myself buying another when there are so many other reasonably priced cigars available that do more for me.
