Unknown Vegueros Seoane (early 2000's?)

Man am I glad this is a blog and not a podcast.  How in the hell do you say Seoane?  This is traditionally the best cigar from Vegueros, the little-known brand that is created out in Pinar del Rio in a factory that now produces the Trinidad.  I am not sure that Habanos intends to keep producing these.  If it was about respect, they would just drop the brand.  I know a good number of people who appreciate them, the mareva is big down in Big D.  The Especiales No.1 is nowhere to be found these days.  If you were lucky, you picked up a few boxes 2 for 1 a couple years ago.  If not, and you are looking for a box, good luck.  I am not sure people consider these worth paying the "discontinued premium".    

This smoke shares a vitola de galera with the also infamous Cohiba Exquisitos.  Never had one of those, but frankly, at Cohiba prices I would pass anyway.  Any cigar that looks prone to bad draws is not worth paying double for.  After the performance of the Cohiba Siglo VI last night, there is no way I am not dry-boxing this cigar.  Well, one day anyway. 

As I look at the foot, and don't jump on me just yet, but LOOK at the foot on this thing.  Me sense trouble.   There is not much space in there, but MUST we fold the filler like this?  If it burns up one side, I am going to say something.  You know I will.

You know after lookng at the foot some more, that's not that messed up after all.  Firstly, it burned perfectly.  Secondly, it is not that bad of a roll on something with a ring gauge of about 32.  I retract my worries WELL after the fact, haha

This cigar has been called the poor man's Cohiba by people I know who are not crazy, when taken as a whole.  Some of them read this blog, however, so make what you will of that.  But this brand is supposed to be chock full of the Cohiba grassy taste.  Well, of course, Cohiba is not just grassy, there are flavors of...wait, this is not a Cohiba review.  But for a third the price, a really good one of these should offer flavors over and above it's pedigree.  OK, enough rambling on, I know you hate it.

Well,this is NOT a Cohiba, but ironically, it has more going for it than a not too great SigloVI I had just last night.  A decent Siglo VI would kick it's ass.  Perfect burn so far, with a light vegetal taste and some VERY light tea.  A nice oily wrapper with nice tooth covers this smoke, which dabbles in espresso at times and has a desserty quality that I like. 

Thanks to the man that handed this to me in Ohio over the summer.  Naturally, I have no memory of who it was.  That's the price one pays for giving me a smoke.  Immortality in a pine box, I guess.  This is a medium flavor on a medium bodied smoke, and while it is not going to blow anyone away with complexity, this is not a bad smoke at all.  Sweet at times, a little chocolate in there, too.  This is the perfect conversational cigar.  You could sip slowly on it (you have to) and carry on a great conversation and not be brought down by cigar maintenance worries.  The flavor is not distracting and is perfectly blended for just grooving on.  I really like this cigar.  What's really striking about the smoke is the fact that it holds up so well against the cigars I have reviewed lately.  Big names and little performances.  Embarassing wastes of money.  Then a little 2 dollar smoke shows em how it is done.  Did I mention the burn is razor straight?  So it is clear that I do not know what I am talking about.  But it looked like it was going to.....I mean, I've seen it a million......Ah, who cares, it's good.

Now for the bad news.  As a cuban cigar, this is not so fantastic.  You could get this exact taste out of a La Riqueza, or Illusione.  (but at 3 times the price?) In  a blind taste test, I could not pick this out as 'the cuban".  The flavor has no real depth, a little nuance, not a lot, and after all, is vegetal a GOOD flavor descriptor?  Ehh.

But if you just look at it as this cuban cigar some awesome brother handed you, then it is pretty great.  Most people I talked to back in the early days of this brand's worldwide release said 'the Seaone is the best.'  But the best I have had is the Mareva.  I have a box of the Especiales No.1 that I have not cracked, so who knows.  But I have heard that they are pretty linear as well.  If I had my druthers, I would take this over a bad Cohiba, but what does that really MEAN?   83 points