Vitola: 400 (Rothschild)- 4.5” x 50 ring gauge
- MSRP $6.25
- Samples provided by J.C. Newman Cigar Company
Background
One of the advantages of having J.C. Newman sponsoring Leaf Enthusiast this year is that they have sent a bunch of cigar samples for me to try. I have already published a few reviews and have several more slated for the rest of the year, but I do want to take this opportunity to thank them for being able to try some blends I haven’t had before, and say that regardless of the money they paid for sponsorship, I will still be honest in my reviews of their products.
Today I am looking at La Unica 400, a cigar that I have probably seen in shops from time to time, but never tried before these samples came around. La Unica was created more than thirty years ago, before the cigar boom, when Stanford Newman challenged Carlos Fuente, Sr., with creating a rich and flavorful premium cigar that would be packaged in bundles. Until then only “seconds” were sold in bundles.
Carlos Fuente used Dominican long-filler tobaccos specially aged for “maximum flavor and smoothness” for filler and binder, then wrapped it in a Connecticut Shade leaf. Within 6 months La Unica became the #1 selling premium bundle cigar in America. That original blend, along with a maduro version, are now sold in boxes, but still have a very approachable price point.
This review is based on my 3rd or 4th smoking of this blend.
Prelight
La Unico has graduated from bundles to plain wood cabinet boxes. From the photos I’ve seen they are nice, if ordinary. The bands of these have not graduated and still look like they come from a bundle stick. Not that they are bad; I’m sure they keep costs down, but the price has still crept upward. MSRP for these is just north of $6, and that moves into the same range as New World and some other non-bundle cigars these days. It might be time to upgrade the band.
The wrapper leaf was a golden brown hue that was especially nice and even for a lower-priced cigar. There was a bit of oiliness under my fingers and I noticed that the cigar was slightly box-pressed, which I found a nice touch. It had an aroma of clean, sweet hay. The foot of the cigar had notes of graham cracker, hay, and freshly-ground coffee.
After I clipped the cap, the cold draw was excellent and tasted of coffee, earth, and leather, with a creamy grassiness underneath it all.
Flavor
Fired up, La Unica had notes of grass and citrus up front, with secondary graham cracker and white pepper notes. The finish was more citrus and a little coffee. It started mild, which was exactly what I had expected. The first third continued along mild and creamy with sweet graham, hay, and citrus notes.
The second third had an increase in grassy and white pepper notes, while the citrus faded a bit. The entire experience was wrapped up in a mild, creamy smoke that was “classic Dominican cigar.”
The final third was much the same…smooth, creamy, and grassy lite citrus and pepper.
Construction
I had a very good draw, even burn line, and solid ash.
Value
Good cigar, wallet-friendly price, adds up to good value.
Conclusions
La Unica is a difficult cigar for me. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t “wow” me. I feel like it really is one of the best examples of the “classic” Dominican Republic cigar blending…mild, grassy, creamy, with a touch of citrus…but as such it held no surprises and probably wouldn’t hold my interest in a size much bigger than this Rothschild. For me, it’s a good, solid smoke without excitement, but it may be excellent for newer smokers as it is very mild in terms of body and strength, while still having a decent amount of flavor.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
