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BRAND: Tabacos de la Cordillera
NAME: Fundación Ancestral
TYPE: Torpedo
LENGTH/RING GAUGE: 6 x 52
WRAPPER: Pinar del Rio
BINDER: Pinar del Rio
FILLER: Pinar del Rio
DATE OF PURCHASE: 12/6/2007
DATE OF RATING: 2/5/2008
TIME IN HUMIDOR (months): 2.0
LOOK AND FEEL: 92
FLAVOR AND AROMA: 92
BURN: 90
OVERALL SCORE: 91.2
URL: http://www.tabacordillera.com |
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STORAGE CONDITIONS: I have kept this box in my
Aristocrat humidor at 64-68ºF and 69-72%RH. The cigars have been
kept in their original cello in order to protect the wrappers.
This is the first review of the new Fundación Ancestral Pinar
del Rio 1941 from Tabacos de la Cordillera. |
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TASTING NOTES: Pinar del Rio is the far western
province on the island of Cuba. Once one of the great tobacco
growing regions of the world, it witnessed a major shift to the
growing of sugar cane during the Cold War. Depleting the vital
nutrients in the soil, the growing of sugar cane all but
destroyed the unique traits of tobacco grown there. Fast forward
to present day. |
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John Vogel of Tabacos de la Cordillera in
Puriscal, Costa Rica, has maintained a genetically pure strain
of Pinar del Rio seeds from 1941. His business as an argonomical
engineer allowed him to collect rare and genetically pure
tobacco seeds without having to smuggle them out of Cuba.
Therein lies his ability to reproduce this tobacco of a bygone
era. |
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These cigars are regarded as a “puro” in that
all the tobacco used to manufacturer this cigar is from one
variety of tobacco, in this case, the Pinar del Rio. Different
primings represent the wrapper, binder, and filler. Only 380
individually numbered boxes were produced in this variety,
totaling 8,000 cigars. |
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This beautiful sample possesses a walnut shaded
wrapper that is smooth to the touch. Light spider-web-like veins
are seen embellishing the wrapper. I noted that the roller
attempted to hide the main vein by placing it down towards the
binder, as the wrapper was rolled into place. A nutty aroma is
sensed as I nasally probed this great looking cigar. |
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I waste no time cutting the triple cap with my
Palió cutter and take a pre-light draw. The firm draw gives up
notes of roasted nuts. While gently toasting the foot with my
butane lighter, I am careful not to scorch the foot, since it
would be fairly easy to add a sooty flavor to these otherwise
delicate tobacco leaves. |
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Immediately, my palate was treated to the light
flavor of nuts. A barely perceptible sweet undertone accompanied
the aftertaste, while a light spice was noted while using the
retrohale technique. These predominate characters continue for
most of the first half of the cigar, then slowly changed to
coffee and wood flavors. The finish was lingering, with the
full-bodied flavor of coffee, wood, and a hint of spice. |
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I've found that if you are not used to cigars
like this, there is a tendency to oversmoke them. The first
indication that I am oversmoking is that the flavor will turn
sharp and hot. Maybe a little sting will be felt in the tip of
the tongue. You need not worry, since you will need to let it
set for a couple of minutes for the coal to cool. Slow draws are
better with this cigar. Occasionally, it is a good practice to
purge this cigar since built up tars within the burning fillers
can easily mask its delicate flavors. This has always proved
beneficial to my enjoyment of the cigar. |
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This cigar developed a salt and pepper gray ash
that displayed good definition, and rolled off easily into a
solid pellet at the one inch point. Some cracking was evident
along the concentric rings formed into the ash. |
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There were some minor issues with the burn on
occasion. A scalloped burn line was evident about half the time,
and a small fish-mouth did develop at the 1/3 point. Both
conditions corrected themselves by rotating the cigar, and did
not diminish my enjoyment. Occasionally, a slightly blistered
burn line was also noted. |
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This, like the other cigars in the Fundación
Ancestral line, is a challenging cigar. One must pay attention
to all the subtle flavors and nuances to truly appreciate the
rarity of this cigar. It is a great cigar to hone your tasting
skills with while allowing post-embargo smokers like myself an
opportunity to experience a past we never knew. |
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We'll rate this cigar again after three months. |
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~Blake |
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