Vitola: Primero (Petite Panetela)- 4.125” x 34 ring gauge
- ~$32 for a pack of 6
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
We’ve been through this before…sometimes you simply don’t want or need a large cigar. You don’t have an hour and a half. It’s too hot. It’s too cold. You have half an hour or less to take advantage of and want something that’s full-flavored like only a hand rolled cigar can be. There are a lot of good options and now Davidoff has given us another one: Escurio in their Primero vitola.
The Escurio blend combines Brazilian Cubra and Mata Fina tobaccos with Davidoff’s signature Dominican leaf and wraps it all in an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. It is part of their “Discovery Series” that also includes the Nicaragua, Nicaragua Box-Press and the brand-new Yamasa. Escurio debuted last year in 3 sizes; just a couple months ago they announced two new vitolas for full-sized cigars (a Corona Gorda and a Gran Perfecto), as well as mini cigarillos and the Primeros I am looking at today.
I bought a 6-pack of Primeros at Burns and have burned through 3 before I got around to this “cigar extra” look at them.
Notes
The Escurio Primero had a dark, oily wrapper leaf that had notes of earth and leather emanating from it. Even in such a small ring gauge, the draw was just about perfect before lighting, and it tasted of dark, dried fruit, earth, and wood.
Once lit, I was hit with a full bodied mix of earth and coffee flavors on the front end, along with wood, leather and pepper on the back. The retrohale had some coffee bean mixed with black pepper.
The Davidoff website lists this as a “15 minute” smoke. I got over half an hour and I’m not exactly known as a slow smoker. Pretty sure the halfwheel guys would have gotten an hour and ten from it.
This is a strong little cigar. It is full bodied from the get-go and doesn’t let up on that all the way through. Interestingly, I smoked the Corona Gorda vitola previous to this and found it to be much the same…very full bodied. The CG was also a little harsh to me, while this really wasn’t. I expected to thoroughly love the CG, but have found that this Primero vitola is easily the best of bunch in the Escurio line.
Final word: great short smoke that will last you anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes and will provide plenty of earth, leather and spice flavors throughout. Get to your Davidoff Appointed Merchant and buy them now!
