I didn't know anything about these Heeren XVII cigars and their website doesn't tell me much either, just that these are tripa corta cigars with a Cuban sungrown wrapper and that they are made in The Netherlands. The name comes from the V.O.C., the Dutch East India Company, the "17 gentleman" as you translate the name of the cigar, were what you now would call the board of directors. The whole line consists of three sizes and I smoked the robusto corto, a 4x54 smoke.

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The wrapper has the color of dark chocolate with a few thin veins, and it is mild oily. The construction feels good, except for one soft spot near the top of the cigar. The cigar smells like a wet horse. The predraw is a bit loose and I taste pepper.

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I taste espresso, mild bitter and strong with some pepper in the back of my throat. A quarter of an inch later I taste wood with a hint of chocolate.

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After three quarters of an inch I taste mainly herbs with some wood and I get a dry mouth. Halfway I still taste the herbs and wood, but the flavors aren't getting any better, they are actually starting to become slightly unpleasant. Near the end the flavors get worse and I taste a lot of pepper.

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This cigar lasted me fifty minutes, which is quite long for a short tripa corta. I got enough smoke, thick as well. The ash is quite dark and firm. The burn and draw are good. This cigar is medium flavored and medium bodied.

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Would I buy this cigar again? No, this just isn't my kind of cigar

Appearance: 8 / 10
Construction: 7 / 10
Draw: 7 / 10
Burn: 7 / 10
Smoke & ash: 8 / 10
Aroma first part: 7 / 10
Aroma second part: 6 / 10
Aroma third part: 5 / 10
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