Reyes Family Cigars Premier Perfecto (5.5 x 58)

Compiled by Doug McGuire (Mad Dawg)

The story of this atypical review necessarily begins in late 2007, when Frank Santos (Marketing Director for Reyes Family Cigars) sent me a cigar for a personal review. Frank told me only that this was a prototype blend for a new cigar line that Reyes Family Cigars ("RFC") was in the process of developing. After resting the cigar for a few weeks, I took it with me on a business trip to Los Angeles, where I smoked it with fellow CW Moderator Mike Almazan (SLR). My impressions of the cigar were quite favorable, as were Mike's (based on a few draws he took from it).

In January 2008, Frank sent me a box for a formal CW blind review. I removed the bands and sent two examples to each of our six reviewers. When I began getting feedback from these reviewers, I knew something was wrong. The reviews were almost totally negative, which, was NOT something I expected based on my impressions of the prototype. (One emailed comment accompanying the formal review was especially revealing: "Whatever those were, the army should decommission them. I smoked them on the gazebo and the bat in the rafters died.") I then smoked one of the remaining samples, and was shocked to find that it was nothing like the prototype I'd smoked a couple of months earlier. It was, in fact, awful. So I called Frank and asked if they'd changed the blend or something.

"No," he told me, "there were a couple of very minor tweaks, but nothing significant. The box I sent you came from the first master case sent to us by the factory."

Frank and I talked about the reviews (which I shared with him) and my own impressions. He then broke out another box from the case and smoked one himself. His emailed response was immediate:

 

As it turned out, what went wrong was a mix-up at the factory where RFC was having the cigars produced (Fabrica Puros Aliados in Danli, Honduras). Cigars being produced for another organization were packaged with RFC bands and boxes by mistake, and a case shipped to Miami in advance of the planned rollout of the new line. The fortuitous fact that Carlos Diez (RFC President) happened to be at the factory when the problem was found allowed him to quickly identify the mistake and make sure it was corrected before RFC formally launched the new line.

(For completeness' sake, the reviews the "mistake" averaged 23.6/50, which would have earned the cigar a 3-star ("Average") rating.)

The cigars for our blind review were graciously provided by Frank Santos, Director of Marketing for Reyes Family Cigars. As described by Frank, "We are proud to unveil our first blend under the Reyes Family name.  The Premier brand sports a beautiful Maduro Ecuador Sumatra wrapper.  The binder & filler are from the Condega & Jalapa regions of Nicaragua.  This medium to full bodied blend is bold, rich & robust."

Pre-Smoke Comments

flipflop:  None

TommyBB: As a person who likes things that hearken back to other days, and make a connection, I was drawn in immediately upon seeing the perfecto shape, with it's tuck at the foot, it's flaring out just above the tuck, and tapering again at the head. I was predisposed to like it as I fancy non-parejo shapes. The wrapper was lovely, dark and inviting as well. The head was left open, but very small. It still needed to be clipped, but a large clip was unnecessary as the cigar drew quite well.

ronin: A nice looking dark brown looking cigar. Even roll with no tight spots felt. My samples were a bit oily looking. Clipped the head. Nice clean clip. Pre smoke draw was easy. Using a soft flame, I lit it. A nice even burn. Took to lighting very well with no hot spots. Which I found interest with a perfecto of this size.

SLR: What a good looking classic figurado-shaped cigar.  Dark brown silky wrapper, some veins, very good looking cigar all around.  Cigar was firm, and had a perfect draw.  Stayed lit throughout,  nice firm cone shaped ash, great construction.

Elk Twin: Fat double perfecto that was built like a brick shithouse. The smooth and dark Colorado wrapper had a slightly mottled coloration and an attractive oily glow.  Good, easy draw from the already open head.  The tip kept hitting my tongue as I got ready to light it, so I cut it way back to a normal mouth feel.

Fishin' Phil: Large perfecto - slightly veiny, medium brown, nice sheen. Bunch seems firm. Even burn and solid ash.

Smoke Comments

flipflop:  None

TommyBB: This was a nice smoke, It smoothed out after a bit of a hot light. I'm not one for peppery cigars, and this one was peppery at the start, but then it settled into a pleasant medium strength and medium bodied smoke.  It had a slight herbal tang to it, but not one I'm drawn to all that much. Yet it was still satisfying, the draw and construction really being admirable. It's a well-made cigar that smoothed a bit in the middle before getting a touch harsh at the very end.

ronin: An unusual tasting cigar. Burn was good but had a very metallic taste. It did produce volumes of smoke.

SLR: This is where the cigar has its weaknesses.  It was one dimensional, with herbal earthy tones, lots of bitterness.  Perhaps young tobacco was used and needs lots of age.  But the overall flavor quality was earthy, and bitter, with a metallic finish.

Elk Twin: Flavor was medium-full and tasted of toasted oats and burnt sugar.  The downside to this cigar was a harsh, chemical finish that hit fast and stayed long. At the halfway mark, when the burn was at the fattest point, the smoke was coming hard and fast and the taste took on a papery tone and became somewhat harsh.  The aroma was always alluring.  In the final third some pepper and sandalwood started to play at the edges and the harshness began to melt away.  Some annoying unevenness of burn towards the middle.

Fishin' Phil: Very nice flavor, kind of earthy and nutty with a hint of sweetness.

Summary Comments

flipflop:  Lots of smoke. Irregular burn disappointed me. Not an overpowering smoke but with enough body to keep me interested. Better in 2nd third than first. Got a bit hot in last third. A better than average smoke that should satisfy a lot of people.

TommyBB: Again, this was a very attractive cigar with it's great shape, lovely wrapper leaf and solid construction. The burn was quite straight, and the ash held on for well nigh half of the cigar. The flavor nearly matched up. It was a nice cigar, with enjoyable flavor, but not up to the ridiculously high bar set by the appearance and construction. I do like this cigar, mind, and would like to try a few more.

ronin: : Large perfecto that I had great hopes for since I really like the perfecto shape. Nice roll, good burn but a very metallic taste in both samples I tried. It became more pronounced as I smoked it further down.

SLR: Great looking cigar, nice looking wrapper, interesting and exciting shape, nice construction and draw.  But the flavor profile is where this cigar has its weak points.  It is earthy, overly bitter, one-dimensional, and has this metallic finish.  Perhaps aging will improve the flavor quality of this cigar.

Elk Twin: Flavor was medium-full and tasted of toasted oats and burnt sugar.  The downside to this cigar was a harsh, chemical finish that hit fast and stayed long. At the halfway mark, when the burn was at the fattest point, the smoke was coming hard and fast and the taste took on a papery tone and became somewhat harsh.  The aroma was always alluring.  In the final third some pepper and sandalwood started to play at the edges and the harshness began to melt away.  Some annoying unevenness of burn towards the middle.

Fishin' Phil: I really enjoyed this cigar. Strong enough that you know you are smoking a cigar, but not overpowering. Very nice flavor and good construction. I would definitely buy this cigar.

Scores

Review Results

Final Score: 35.0 out of 50 - 4 Stars -- Excellent

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