Vitola: Corona Gorda- 5.5” x 46 ring gauge
- ~$6.99
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
Particulares was a bit of a surprise release from the Sindicato Cigar conglomeration about a year ago. There wasn’t a lot of news about it ahead of time and when the cigars showed up at the shop I work at, the first thing I noticed was that there was no readily visible sign of who made or distributed the cigars. As I recall the copyright is held by Casa Fernandez, who makes the cigar, but they handed the distribution part over to Sindicato, a group of cigar store owners who decided it would be a good idea to jointly own a brand. As an editorial note, I feel the jury is still out on whether or not Sindicato was a good idea to begin with…early blends were really just plain bad…some were bad and very expensive! The more recent collaborative efforts highlighted by the Sindicato Miami Edition and Rocky Patel Edition have been better, while Particulares has impressed me from day one.
Yes, I might have just given away the ending…I really like this blend and have done so since it showed up a year ago. The No. 1 size was my go-to for the past year, but for some reason I never got around to reviewing it here in these pages. Recently we received Corona Gorda and Robusto vitolas of the blend; I discovered that I liked the Corona Gorda even more than the No. 1.
Particulares is 100% Nicaraguan tobacco: filler, binder and wrapper, with the wrapper a shade-grown Corojo leaf. It’s made in Nicaraguan by Casa Fernandez, soft-box-pressed and sold in very classic-looking boxes of 20. I’ve probably smoked this blend 8 or 10 times, including a couple times before now in this same size I’m reviewing.
Prelight
The box and band of Particulares are classic-looking and definitely a throwback to the old Cuban brand…or at least what you would think the old Cuban brand would look like, as I couldn’t actually find images of the old Cuban brand of the same name. It’s ornate without being garish, classic without being tired. Not an easy balance to maintain, but it’s done well with this brand. The only visible indication of Sindicato’s presence is the back of the band where it’s glued together…in the bottom portion of the band (light green background with medium green type) it reads “SINDICATO.”
The wrapper leaf was a definite peanut butter brown color with a little darker mottling in places, but with a very nice oily look and feel to it. The aroma from it was a mix of cedar and earth, with just a touch of natural tobacco sweetness. The foot had a rich earthy aroma.
After clipping the end, I got a good draw that tasted of cedar, natural tobacco, salt and just a touch of pepper.
Flavor
Firing up the Particulares, I quickly got notes of natural tobacco, hay, and cedar up front, along with minor touches of pepper and sweetness. The retrohale was nutty and peppery. I’m not sure how much more descriptive I can be on this blend…besides what I’ve mentioned it wasn’t bowling me over with complexity, but it was a solidly good “this is what a cigar is all about” flavor.
As I finished up the first third and headed into the second, the flavors of cedar and mild pepper spice were most prevalent, with sweet natural tobacco coming in just behind.
The last third was dominated by natural tobacco flavors punctuated by cinnamon, cedar, and pepper spice.
Construction
The draw on this sample was slightly tight, but it’s the first time I’ve had that happen. Even so, it was far from too tight. The burn line was even enough and the ash held on for more than half an inch before I tapped off.
Value
Very satisfying cigar with a price right in the middle of the “sweet spot”…excellent value.
Conclusions
Particulares is one of my favorite cigars produced by the Casa Fernandez factory and definitely the cream of the crop when it comes to Sindicato sticks. It has a medium body with plenty of spice overlaying cedar and wonderful natural tobacco notes. I will go so far as to say that when it comes to “natural” Nicaraguan Puros, I highly prefer this to any Padron Natural I’ve had to date (I have smoked the Padron Series, 1964 Anniversary Series and Serie 1926 in Natural, but not the Family Reserve or Hammer). With the combination of good price point and great flavor, this cigar is hard to beat in its category.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
