Vitola: Torpedo- 6.125” x 52 ring gauge
- MSRP ~$12.95
- Sample provided by Serino Cigars
Background
The recent institution of “deeming regulations” from the FDA has not stopped new cigars companies from jumping into the game…actually, I’m thinking this summer’s IPCPR show may contain more new companies and new blends than any other in recent memory while factories try to clear our their aging rooms and ship as much product as possible before August 10…but that’s a discussion for a different day. Anyway, one of the new companies jumping in is actually the culmination of a 20 year process by Carson Serino.
For some time Serino has been importing bundle cigars for use as “daily smokes” but this new venture finds him teaming up with Omar González Alemán for the “Serino Royale” series. Aleman originally came up through the Cuban cigar industry, blending in the “Cuban Partagas” factory and also working on Romeo y Julieta, San Luis Rey, San Cristóbal, and Montecristo brands, among others. He now owns La Corona Cigar S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua, and has been involved with Cubanacan, Soneros, and HR cigar brands.
For Serino Royale, there are four different blends, each using 5-year-aged fillers from Omar’s farms in Estelí and Jalapa. The binders on all the blends are from Jalapa. And all the cigar were rolled and put into the La Corona aging room in 2014, so these are actually “pre-aged.” The differences, then, in the blends is the wrapper leaves employed. For this first experience with the brand, I am smoking the Connecticut, which uses an Ecuadorian Shade Grown Connecticut wrapper. This Royale Connecticut will be available in 4 vitolas, including a Churchill, a Toro, and a Gordo, in addition to the Torpedo I’m smoking for this review
This is my first experience with this blend (and this line as a whole). Serino Cigars provided this sample for review. I pillaged Cigar-Coop’s news story for some background information.
Prelight
I will come right out at the beginning of this review (and the next three that are from the same line) to say that the execution of the “Serino Cigars” logo and banding is very beautiful. The use of gold foil, subtle embossing and creative die cutting is great in some ways…but…I’m thinking they shouldn’t have used the exact same band on every single version of Serino Royale. All 4 blends have the same blue-fading-to-black background with an “S” in a red circle. I would have chosen to keep the red circle and change the blue-fade background on each version, just to differentiate them easily to people shopping in a crowded humidor. (To their credit, they did “color code” the boxes with each blend being in a different colored box.)
The Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf on this cigar was a fairly dark color, though not quite as dark as the hybrid “Dark Connecticut” that Caldwell uses on the Eastern Standard. I would call it a caramel color rather than the lighter gold color that many companies seek. There was a little darker mottling and smudging in some places, but the construction looked to be very good with very flat seams all the way up into the tight spiral that led to the torpedo tip. There was a bit of an oily feel, but not too much. The aroma from the leaf was grassy, while the foot was earthy and woody, with a touch of sweetness.
The prelight draw was good and tasted of earth and cedar mostly…just a touch of citrus and another of spice in the mix.
Flavor
I got the Serino Royale Connecticut burning and was hit right away with a medium-bodied smoke that had a lot of cedar flavor in it. Earth was a solid backing note, while creamy and peppery flavors were in a tertiary zone. Pepper came out more strongly on the nose, where I also got some citrus. After a few minutes I got some more floral notes, a hallmark of the Jalapa leaf used in the mix. As I got further into the first third, the flavors of earth, wood, flowers, and cream melded fairly well in a medium-bodied smoke that had a peppery finish.
That same flavor profile prevailed in the second third without much change.
The last third had the flavors of cedar and earth flipping in prominence. A little lemon came through, as well.
Construction
Despite being a torpedo, I had a very good draw, so I’d call that a major win without anything else. But I also had a solid ash and very even burn line that just needed a couple minor corrections.
Value
This cigar was very good, but the price tag is a bit high for the experience it delivered in my opinion. If you are more of a fan of Connecticut Shade than me, you might feel differently.
Conclusions
This was a straight ahead medium-bodied Connecticut Shade blend informed with the core of Nicaraguan filler and binder leaves that gave a good amount of earthy and woody flavor, with touches of floral and citrus notes. It wasn’t bad, but not my personal preference in terms of flavor profile. I would smoke it again, but I probably wouldn’t spend as much on it as they want. As I mentioned above, if you are a dedicated Conny smoker, you might feel differently.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 8.5/10
