El Original is the award winning houseblend of the
Island Smoke shop on Key Largo, Florida. I visited the shop on several occasions and I reviewed the
El Original maduro lancero and the
El Original claro lancero in the past. On my last trip to Florida I bought another box of the claro lancero but I also bought a sampler with a few other sizes, all rolled in the USA.
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The El Original Maduro corona measures 5½x44 and has a spotty, dry and dark wrapper with quite some veins. The cigar has a strong barnyard smell and a good construction. The predraw is fine and I taste spicy tobacco.
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I taste sweet pepper with a hint of dark chocolate and some coffee. After those first flavors I taste some oak with herbs. The flavors are quite dry.
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After an inch I taste a lot of herbs with some wood as supporting flavor. Halfway I taste wood with herbs, full but smooth and very pleasant. After two thirds I still taste the wood and herbs but now with some nuts.
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This cigar lasted me for an hour. I got a lot of thick gray smoke. The ash is white colored and firm. This cigar has a good burn and draw. The flavors are full and the body is medium to full.
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Would I buy this cigar again? Next time I'm in Florida I have to stock up
Appearance: 7 / 10
Construction: 8 / 10
Draw: 8 / 10
Burn: 7 / 10
Smoke & ash: 8 / 10
Aroma first part: 8 / 10
Aroma second part: 8 / 10
Aroma third part: 7 / 10
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This was the cigar that I first started understanding the different "flavors" of cigars. I got married down the street from the shop and stocked up while I was there.
It is one of my favorite cigars. If not the centimental, but I thank that cigar for starting to actually understand the profiles of different cigars.
[Reply]
