Sorry for the lack of pics. Everyone really seemed to like the photos I took in my last review, so I decided I was going to do that from now on. Unfortunately, none of the photos I snapped for this one came out.
The Victor Sinclair Vintage Select (Robusto: 5.5" x 50) is an enjoyable, but ultimately mediocre, cigar. It's box-pressed, which I like, but the wrapper was rather veiny, paper-thin and dry-looking, with none of the oily sheen that I prefer. The simple, elegant band was difficult to remove, and when I did, small patches of wrapper came off with it. Either too much glue or too thin wrapper. Maybe both.
I clipped the end and did a test draw: nice and easy, with a typical tobacco flavor with a little cocoa. The construction seemed a little loose; it felt light in the hand. Once lit, the tobacco and cocoa flavors continued, with a little leather and a peppery spice thrown in. Pleasant, but unremarkable.
The VSVS stayed mild and creamy-smooth all the way through, but the flavors didn't change at all as it burned. That's not always a bad thing, but in this case I was hoping they would change, or at least intensify and make the smoke a little more interesting. It had a very short, crisp finish.
The burn seemed a little fast - this one took just under an hour, and I'm a slow smoker - but it was mostly even, and it self-corrected the one time that it needed to. The ash was very, very pale, but never exceeded an inch before falling off on its own.
In the end, I came away unimpressed. There was nothing wrong with it, per se (apart from the wrapper issues), but there was nothing overly good about it, either. Just a very nondescript, plain-Jane smoke.
Appearance and Construction: 10/15
Flavor: 17/25
Smoking Characteristics: 20/25
Overall Impression: 26/35
Total: 73/100
The Victor Sinclair Vintage Select (Robusto: 5.5" x 50) is an enjoyable, but ultimately mediocre, cigar. It's box-pressed, which I like, but the wrapper was rather veiny, paper-thin and dry-looking, with none of the oily sheen that I prefer. The simple, elegant band was difficult to remove, and when I did, small patches of wrapper came off with it. Either too much glue or too thin wrapper. Maybe both.
I clipped the end and did a test draw: nice and easy, with a typical tobacco flavor with a little cocoa. The construction seemed a little loose; it felt light in the hand. Once lit, the tobacco and cocoa flavors continued, with a little leather and a peppery spice thrown in. Pleasant, but unremarkable.
The VSVS stayed mild and creamy-smooth all the way through, but the flavors didn't change at all as it burned. That's not always a bad thing, but in this case I was hoping they would change, or at least intensify and make the smoke a little more interesting. It had a very short, crisp finish.
The burn seemed a little fast - this one took just under an hour, and I'm a slow smoker - but it was mostly even, and it self-corrected the one time that it needed to. The ash was very, very pale, but never exceeded an inch before falling off on its own.
In the end, I came away unimpressed. There was nothing wrong with it, per se (apart from the wrapper issues), but there was nothing overly good about it, either. Just a very nondescript, plain-Jane smoke.
Appearance and Construction: 10/15
Flavor: 17/25
Smoking Characteristics: 20/25
Overall Impression: 26/35
Total: 73/100
