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Cigar Review: PANA Triple Corojo Churchill

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PANA Triple Corojo - Click to Enlarge

After a long week of classes and work, I finally found a couple of hours to pick up another PANA cigar for a review. Granted, the time I found was at 1:00am, but I don’t think it detracted from the review too much – no nodding off anyway. Next on the docket for a review of PANA’s blends was the PANA Triple Corojo, and I was pretty excited.  Then again, I get excited (and a bit nervous) any time I see “triple” anything (maduro, corojo, etc).  In any case, this really was is an excellent cigar, as I will try to describe below. In case you aren’t familiar with Pana Cigars, it is a new brand by Pablo Enchiton that launched midway through 2010. You can find the website here. Enchiton has developed four lines: the Ligero-Maduro, Connecticut Especial, Triple Corojo, and Triple Maduro.

Blend Specifics:

  • Wrapper: Corojo Ecuador
  • Binder: Corojo Dominicano
  • Filler: Criollo 98 (Nicaragua), Corojo Dominicano, Piloto Cubano (DR)

Appearance & Construction:

The Corojo wrapper is a reddish brown with light oil on the wrapper. There are a few veins, but nothing significant, and there are no visible imperfections. The black and white band prominently displays “PANA” in large framed lettering. After clipping the pig-tail cap, I test the draw and it is (like other PANA cigars I’ve smoked) pretty liberal, but not too loose. The scent on the wrapper is subtle, but the foot reveals granola and leather.

Click to Enlarge

Taste & Smoking Characteristics:

The first few draws of this cigar produce large amounts of medium bodied smoke. The texture of the smoke is slightly creamy, and the main notes are black pepper, spice, and some leather. There is also a subtle sweetness to the aroma of the smoke which adds nicely to the experience. The more I smoke this cigar, the clearer it becomes that this stick would be paired very well with Mexican or Southern food. Smoking the cigar actually makes me imagine relaxing on a lounge chair on a hot arid evening in Arizona. About an inch in, the spice picks up considerably and so does the black pepper. The pepper continues to build into the second third of the cigar, and at one point builds a bit too much for my tastes. Still, very enjoyable.  The final third of the cigar tamed a bit on the pepper, but also got a bit hot which may be a result of the slightly more liberal draw. Not the best way to end a cigar, but I wasn’t crushed – it was a great smoke.

Conclusion:

This cigar is an experience. At $7.50, it isn’t a cheap stick, but I think that it will satisfy the Corojo lover in all of us, and I definitely recommend getting your hands on some as soon as you get the chance.

Final Grade: B+

Other PANA cigar reviews:

Cigar Review: PANA Ligero-Maduro Churchill

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Pana Ligero Maduro - Click to Enlarge

Sometimes, the only remedy after smoking a bad cigar is to grab a good one and light up. Today I had the misfortune of smoking a really bad cigar. Instead of letting it ruin my evening, however, I decided to grab a cigar I suspected would be both a new experience and a good one – the PANA Ligero Maduro Churchill (48 x 7).  PANA Cigars are new on the market (launched July 2010), and owner Pablo Enchinton has big plans and has personally overseen the development of PANA’s four blends: the Ligero-Maduro, Connecticut Especial, Triple Corojo, and Triple Maduro. I’ve got a few of these blends and will be reviewing them, so stay tuned!  Review below:

Blend Specifics:
• Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut Shade
• Binder: Indonesian
• Filler: Ligero Cubano (DR), Ligero Criollo (Honduran)

Appearance & Construction:

As you can see, the Ecuadorian wrapper on this stick is a rich dark brown. There were a few minor imperfections, but as I found out those didn’t bear much on the experience of the smoke. The cigar is springy to the touch and has a light oily sheen. Because of past experience, I’m always worried about the draw on Churchill size cigars, but I was pleasantly surprised at the easy draw on this cigar. The band on this cigar is black and white, with “PANA” framed prominently.

Taste & Smoking Characteristics:

The first third of this cigar kicks off with a mild bodied spice, earthiness, and rich sweetness. The earthy-sweet smell of the wrapper compliments the taste of the smoke well. The smoke has a smooth texture and leaves a touch of spiciness on the tongue. Very enjoyable and balanced. As the cigar moves into the second third, the body picks up to medium-body. There is a slightly salty savoriness in the aroma that soon moves to a tanginess. Very enjoyable retrohale, and the burn is great (no touch ups). Like clockwork, the final third of the cigar picks up to full body and has a lot more spice, though the earthy, almost chocolaty sweetness remains.

Conclusion:

The flavor profile on this cigar is solid but unique. Heavy earth, sweetness, and spice are how I’d sum this stick up. At times I tasted what seemed like chocolate in the earthiness, but I couldn’t quite pin it down. The construction was good all throughout this stick. With all of the spice this cigar leaves on the tongue, it isn’t for the faint of heart, but for ~$6.50 I would recommend giving this stick a try.

Final Grade: B