My 12 Days of Christmas: Unwrapping the Humidor.

... a Partridge in a Pear Tree

I come to you, my readers, bearing gifts.  Twelve days of gifts to be exact.  From now until Christmas, I'll  be giving 12 reviews of cigars that have been in my humidor for various amounts of time.  Nothing beats the gift of one's own humidor and the treasures that lay within.  So, here we go.

On the first day of Christmas, my humidor gave to me...

A Frank Llaneza 1961 Cuban Corona

Wrapper: 1998 Ecuadorian Criollo

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan & Dominican
Time in my humidor: 8 months

Frank Llaneza may have been born into the cigar industry, but he became a legend as he dedicated his entire adult life to art of cigar making.  He turned Villazon & Co. into an industry power and helped develop well-known labels of Punch and Hoyo de Monterrey after the Cuban Embargo.

On March 18, 2010, he died two weeks after his 90th birthday.  One of his final, of many, contributions to the world of cigars was a cigar that bears his name.

The Frank Llanzea 1961 line from Altadis, U.S.A., hailed from Nicaragua, was introduced at the IPCPR trade show in 2009.

When I first acquired a box of the Cuban Coronas I had various issues with draw, burn, and an overwhelming meaty flavor.  As I let the cigars age and rest in my humidor, over time, they have become much better.  I now have four left. 

After almost a year, the toothy wrapper has some present oils that permeate with creamy and coffee flavors on the palate of the dry draw.

A smooth, medium bodied nutty and creamy smoke comes through upon first light through the first quarter. The ash is light gray and sandy, and the cigars builds with impeccable consistency.  A peppery note starts to form as the cigars works into a fuller bodied stick.

The rich oils are quite impressive and remain constant as the cigar finishes.  The finish is quite smooth, long and peppery.  I can't wait to see what the remaining sticks will do and taste like over the next months and years.

My Ratings:

Appearance - 7

Pre-light taste- 9

Construction - 10

Draw - 8

Burn - 8

Aroma - 9

Flavor - 9

Balance - 10

Finish- 9

Total Rating: 87.8

Here's to Frank and his wonderful story, his amazing contribution, and his great cigars. 

One down.  Eleven to go.  Just think of Frank Llaneza, There's nothing wrong with knowing you are the best.

Regards,

Bear