Cigar Review: Crux Limitada PB5

Cigar: Crux Limitada PB5
Size: Cuban Box Press – 5.75 x 54
Wrapper: Engañoso (Esteli, Nicaragua)
Binder: Nicaraguan Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Blend of five from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua
Price: $53.96* per five pack from Small Batch Cigar
Used the coupon code ‘leafenthusiast’ for 10% off; normally $59.95.

The Crux Limitada PB5 has been floating around my Twitter stream the last couple of months with quite a bit of praise. As a big fan of just about anything from Crux, I picked up a five pack from Small Batch Cigar in April and have been slowly enjoying them. The story of the Limitada PB5 centers around the wrapper:

We secured a limited amount of this amazing Engañoso wrapper three years ago. As time passed and we launched our first sticks in 2014, our thoughts returned to this still aging treasure. Smokey and savory, the blend is a result of a meticulously marbled construction of just the right binders and fillers.

Sounds exactly like a cigar that all of us will want to try. No construction issues were found on my review cigar, although if you look at the above picture, you’ll notice right away the vein going up towards the cap. I had to take a pretty good look at the cigar to make sure that wasn’t a defect with the wrapper. Pre-light aromas gave me notes of cedar and tilled soil, the cold draw giving me faint tastes of leather. After the punch and light, I found the draw to be incredibly open with a ton of smoke on the exhale. The flavor profile on the Limitada PB5 was pleasant with notes of spice, wood and citrus. Crux classifies this as just breaking into full bodied territory; For my palette, it registers more around the medium bodied to medium-to-full bodied range and breaks into full bodied by the end. The halfway point gave me more spicy notes overall with a slight increase in the overall strength. By the last third, the final jump into the full bodied category came along with woody notes accompanied by more spicy notes, although more subdued from earlier. 1:11 was my total smoking time on the cigar.

The only real issue I saw was about a quarter of the way through, my burn was slightly uneven. By the halfway point and the assistance of a corrective burn, the issue was solved and it never happened again. Not enough to get me bothered but I thought I would document it.

By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10

To recap the Crux Limitada PB5:

• Another great offering from Crux Cigars. The Limitada PB5 gives a nice complement of flavors while being smooth on the palette.
• You could give newer smokers this cigar, but because of the per stick price on these, you might think twice about that. In terms of strength, I think most smokers could enjoy this cigar without an issue.
• These are just out of my comfortable price range and would consider these a nice “splurge” cigar. They are worth the money paid though.
• The Limitada PB5 is probably my 2nd favorite among the Crux line now, next to the Bull & Bear. I could easily see another five packing finding its way into my humidor into the near future.

Thank you very much for reading and I look forward to the next time I can share my thoughts with you.