30. Victor Sinclair Primeros Tabacos
I saved what looked to be one of the highest quality smokes in the samplers for last. This is technically one of the “high dollar” ‘gars in the mix because it typically sells for a little over $3 per stick when purchased in a fiver. It was the final 7” stick from the Po Boy II selection and had a light to medium brown Connecticut wrapper. There were a few small veins, the cap looked good and the wrapper laid down well without any wrinkles or lifting up. It felt like a full stick- it was firm down the length and had a nicely packed foot. It smelled like toasted tobacco with almost a caramel overtone. It punched cleanly and the draw was firm with a slight nuttiness.

I was pretty disappointed at the start of the cigar because it had a salty/tangy nuance to the flavor that just seemed off. This only lasted for several puffs before disappearing, but it was not a good first impression. From there it moved on to a grassy, then lightly woody mild profile smoke. It held its own as far as burn throughout the stick, requiring no corrections and holding its ash rather stiffly. About two thirds of the way through it became a little acrid and started to resemble a dirty ashtray. I purged it twice and it recovered fine. The final section had a stronger sweetness and some spicy notes in the retrohale. It was a surprisingly fast smoke for a Churchill at only 90 minutes. Typically 2 hours of fun can be had with a 7” stick (at least that’s what she said.)

The single best part of the cigar: Nice looking, no construction flaws and a classy band
The single worst part of the cigar: The start was rough- close to being an ammonia experience.
Overall rating on a scale of 1-10: 7.4 (I wouldn’t pay $3 for one, but thrown in at .99, it did well for itself.)

And so it ends…
The experiment goes out quietly, rather than with a bang. I’ll be getting together to herf with a BOTL up the highway on Friday, and I’m sure we’ll smoke something decent to get the el cheapo taste out my mouth. I could probably scrub through a bar of soap in the shower till the water ran ice cold and still not be able to feel clean after doing this. I think I found a couple sticks that would suffice for the smoker who just wants something lit on fire hanging out their mouth while they fish/mow/work on the car. I also was able to mark a few land mines before anyone skipped ignorantly upon them.

“They who go feel not the pain of parting; it is they who stay behind that suffer.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow