Vital Stats:
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
Vitola: Corona
Length: 5.5″
Ring Gauge: 46
Country of Origin: United States
Wrapper: Undisclosed
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Factory: Undisclosed
Blender: Christian Eiroa
Number of reviewers: 5—–Gregg (McGreggor57) Ron (shuckins) Sandeep (Djangos) Wes (SosaCub4Life) Jiunn (jliu)
Price: $15.00
Age: 2 Months
Release Date: July 2014
Contributed by: C.L.E. Cigar Company
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 91
“Very well made cigar with a light chocolate wrapper. The surface is quite smooth with some veins visible but not too prominent to be felt. There are a few bumps on the surface. No blemishes to the surface are evident. The cigar is firm to the touch with very little give the entire length and no soft spots are discernible. There are three well applied caps present.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
Aroma: 90
“Pleasant aromas of cedar and a light peppery nutmeg get my motor running.” –Ron (shuckins)
First Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“This has been a very good start for me. Lots of good spice, but not too much where it overpowers everything else. There is some nice creaminess to the smoke that lingers in the mouth where it’s almost chewy. Very good balance of flavors so far with the predominant being a good dose of spice.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
“First third opens up with a plethora of flavors giving way to sweet hay, cedar, oily chili, black pepper, sweet bread and perhaps some black licorice. About an inch in, a distinct flavorful coffee and cream mixes in. Body is at a medium plus and nicotine at a solid medium.” –Jiunn (jliu)
Second Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Leather and oak compliment each other as a mixture of soft baking spices mingle with some mocha in the background. There is a silky quality in the smoke. This is one of those times where it’s easy to get lost in the flavors. They all are working so well together.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“I was enjoying the cedar and coffee flavors when out of nowhere, a splash of cocoa joins the nutmeg ,bringing a bit of creaminess and a smile to my face. I love it when a cigar keeps me on my toes! It just makes me want to smoke another one…and I usually do :)” –Ron (shuckins)
Final Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Heading towards the end with the cedar turning to the creamy side, which brings a fair amount of smoothness to the cigar. There is a battle for the top spot between the coffee and cocoa laced nutmeg flavors, and I like the way it played out and danced across my palate at the very end.” –Ron (shuckins)
“In the final third, the pepper is becoming more prominent and there is more of the tobacco flavor. The hay is still quite strong and present in every puff. As we get to the last inch, the pepper amps up and the other flavors are quite muted. Slightly more complex than the other two thirds. No issues with the burn and draw in the final third.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 94
“Pretty good throughout, maybe a tad firm in spots.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Burn: 93
“The burn has been great. It got off just a touch during the first third but quickly corrected itself and was then great during the rest of the smoke.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
Construction: 94
“Given a slight too tight of a draw and a perfect burn, I am giving this cigar a close to perfect construction. It really doesn’t get much better than this.” –Jiunn (jliu)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Overall Experience: 89
“The pepper in the beginning really overpowered the flavors of the first third. It took a good inch before I could detect anything else. The middle of the cigar, however, was a true pleasure to smoke. A nice silky feel with perfectly balanced oak, mocha and light baking spices. Sadly, after the leather left during the final leg a harshness crept in leaving me wanting to put it down sooner than I did.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“I enjoyed this cigar. That said…it was well balanced, with no over powering flavors. Just a well balanced cigar from start to finish. Here’s the thing…boring…it would be a good every day yard gar type, if it was cheap, because of the lack of concentration needed to smoke it. Bottom line: Recommendable? sure, for the casual smoker. Smoke again?: sure, if you hand me one” –Ron (shuckins)
“Overall, the cigar was OK with a mostly unilateral flavor profile. However, if you like hay and grass a lot you may like this one. May try another one if I get a chance, but may not go looking for one.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
“This has been a very good well rounded cigar. It started with more spice and then the spice faded some but was always there. There was a good mix of being creamy and adding some sweetness to the spice. It’s been an enjoyable smoke.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)
“This was a very good cigar. The first third is the star giving me complex flavors of coffee and cream, oily chili, black pepper, sweet bread, hay, cedar and at times perhaps a black licorice. I kept wanting to take draws just so I can confirm what I’m tasting. The cigar does still have a little bit of edge to it in which I think age may help with. Easy fiver for me. Smoking one every 6 months or so to see how it is progressing.” –Jiunn (jliu)
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Smoking Time (in minutes): 66
| Reviewer | Appearance | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gregg | 88 | 90 | 88 | 92 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 88 |
| Ron | 88 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 93 | 93 | 97 | 90 |
| Sandeep | 92 | 88 | 85 | 88 | 88 | 95 | 88 | 88 | 88 |
| Wes | 95 | 92 | 97 | 95 | 92 | 95 | 95 | 97 | 95 |
| Jiunn | 90 | 88 | 92 | 90 | 90 | 97 | 100 | 97 | 90 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: CLE | Signature Series PLdM