Jose Seijas Churchill

This is an ultra premium cigar from the folks at Tabacalera Garcia. This particular cigar came from an unopened box with 3-5 years of humidor aging. It looks majestic with it's dark coffee colored wrapper and bright white band. The cigar is firm and toothy, but an inspection shows that it is supple and screaming to be smoked. The pre light aroma is an enticing mix of dark fruit and rich tobacco. The pre light draw shows some sweet earth and rich tobacco flavor.

The cigar opens with blasts of black cherry mingling with rich tobacco flavors. At the back of the palate there are excellent flavors of dark wood and earthy tones that offset some of the fruity sweetness from the front of the palate. The draw is nice, but I would prefer it to be a touch looser. The burn is sharp and even, and produces a crisp white ash.

The first third of the cigar shows little development, but it is a nice continuation of the opening moments. There are some black cherry notes, but primarily rich tobacco flavors, in the core profile. At the back of the palate some more notes of dark wood are showing through, giving the cigar a very smoky flavor characteristic. The draw continues to be just a but tight, but it is not causing issues. The burn is very impressive, and continues in razor sharp fashion holding a ponderous ash for two inches.

The middle third of the cigar picks up strength wise, moving from a solid medium into a more full showing. The profile has transitioned into a straight forward show of rich tobacco notes, that lacks some complexity while maintaining nice depth. At the back of the palate the tobacco flavors permeate and overwhelm the notes of wood that were previously noted. The draw has not opened any further, but it is not distressing the experience. The burn catches a little, but it evens out with no interference from me.

The final third of the smoke continues to be straight forward and I find myself wanting more complexity. The straight forward tobacco presentation continues in both the core profile and at the back of the palate. All in all though the cigar is still enjoyable. The draw and burn remain the same throughout the experience.

The finish is long, but shows a bit of harshness. There are notes of rich tobacco present.

Appearance- 93 a very nice looking smoke
Taste- 88 a nice profile, but more depth and complexity are needed
Construction- 91 some points off for draw, but other than that excellent
Strength- 90 I thought this was excellent, but could have used more power
Overall- 90.25 just nosing into the 90's makes this an excellent experience

Jose Seijas Robusto

This is a very high end smoke from the master blender at Tabacalera Garcia. It presents with a very dark and toothy wrapper that appears to be expertly applied. There is some veining, but an inspection of the cigar leads me to believe that it is well made. The pre light aroma has notes of earth and rich wood, there is a nice tobacco essence to the nose. The pre light draw shows some bitter notes, but has some nice tobacco and earth flavor.

The cigar begins with a core profile of rich tobacco and dark wood flavors, there is a slightly charred overtone at the back of the palate. The draw is excellent and produces ample smoke. The burn is a bit lopsided and the ash is flaky, but it has a nice crisp white color.

The first third of the cigar shows little development. There are notes of wood, tobacco and earth, but the charred bitterness persists and is hurting the experience. The burn has evened out and the draw is exceptional.

At the halfway point the profile has picked up some more flavors of rich wood and strong coffee, but there is still bitterness that is distracting and hinging on unpleasant. The burn and draw have stayed strong and aside from the flaky ash the cigar is performing well.

The final half of the cigar continues to show notes of strong coffee and rich wood. There is still a charred, bitter overtone to the flavors. The burn and draw have continued to perform well.

The finish is middling, with notes of coffee, wood and charred paper.

Appearance- 87 veining hurts the score
Taste- 84 the charred notes hurt the under developed profile that needed more complexity and depth
Construction- 93 a very well made cigar that performed well
Strength- 85 an unremarkable full that could have complimented the profile in a better way
Overall- 87.25 not bad, but not good for the price tag

Mi Dominicana by Jose Seijas Corona

This cigar presents with a pale beige wrapper that is almost yellowish in color. There are some prominent veins, but an inspection of the cigar indicates that construction should not be an issue. The pre light aroma shows some floral notes with hints of nuts and spice. The pre light draw shows light pepper and some grassy notes.

The cigar begins with some nice spice and some peppery notes at the back of the palate, the flavors are not deep or complex. The burn is strong, but the draw is tighter than I usually care for, there is a little labor involved to produce smoke.

Two inches into the cigar the core has transitioned into pepper with hints of grass, again the depth, complexity and balance seem off to me. The burn is straight, but the draw has not opened up at all and is causing some heat along the body of the cigar.

At the halfway point the profile shows noted of spice, pepper and grass. An unfortunate metallic note has also surfaced at the back of the palate. The burn is still acceptable and I have slowed down to diminish the heat which is producing less smoke.

The final half of the cigar shows notes of pepper and roasted nuts, but the metallic flavors are hurting the profile. The burn has stayed sharp and the draw opens slightly in the final half.

The finish is acceptable, with notes of pepper and spice. There is still a metallic undertone, but it has diminished.

Appearance- 84 veining and color hurt the score
Taste- 79 grass and metallic notes hurt the score
Construction- 77 draw problems limit the score
Strength- 80 an unremarkable medium/full
Overall- 80 below average smoke