Por Larranaga Lonsdale German Ediciones Regional

What a rare treat.  To pull out a smoke, drybox it and cut and light it, knowing all the time that I can actually attribute this to the right person.  And I was glad to get it.  I saw my friend Greg at THE herf in Ohio over the summer and offered him some cigar or other and in return, he told me to pick one out of his herfidor.  I selected the one cigar I could not get, did not buy on release, and had precious little more time to ever have a CHANCE to smoke it, the Por Larranaga regional edition from Germany released some 7-8 years ago.  He did not wince, although I imagine inside he regretted NOT saying "Choose any cigar in my box except the regional PL Lonsdale." 

I know herf etiquette, however, and I know he would not give me free rein if he did not MEAN to take free rein.  So I took it.  I was glad to get it.  I am a big fan of the factory size, of the brand, and in this one case, a fan of the release.  I am not won over by regional releases by any means.  But honestly, I have not had many at all, and the other I loved was the Punch Superfino.  An exquisite cigar.

But back to the smoke at hand.  I had poured a half a Maredsous the other day with another cigar, and still had the remains in the fridge.  I had removed the cap in such a way as to guarantee a good seal should I use it again, and I did.  The beer retained much of it's original character and carbonation.  A little of both was undoubtedly lost with the half bottle's air space over a few days, but the beer was still very tasty.  The cigar featured a draw that was superb and a flavor of nutty cream with some leathery spice.  It had wonderful burning qualities and stayed lit the entire time I had to smoke, and gave NO trouble with an even burn throughout.  It was a perfect candidate for smoke-sipping.  I would give it a firm draw about every 5 draws and then just barely sip the smoke for the other draws, which offered very subtle and quite sublime flavor.  Hints of everything from cherry to cotton candy and lemon and cane sugar and dirt and hay, very similar to the Fundadores I have recently smoked in the dizzying array of flavors offered once, never to return.  Not a bad thing at all, but there is a feeling of loss, certainly, when you get something great and immediately try to grasp at it again to help give it a name, and its gone.  

The cigar burned for over an hour to the point where it was photographed again, (and granted, I HAD pushed the bands UP in anticipation of smoking this one to an inch, but once I saw that Downton Abbey was about to start, the remaining inch or so I intended to smoke was left to the devils and angels to fight over.  I love me some Downton Abbey, and this episode was crushing to me, spoiler alert, but Lady Sybil is no more.  That fine bit of crumpet is now free to take on another role where she may prove to be even hotter.  She died after giving birth to a little girl.

The cigar was just a treat to smoke, and I am glad that the only one I had on hand was absolutely perfect in every way.  The cigar itself, from the standpoint of personality, however, I won't give elevated marks to.  It was a really good smoke, but nothing so special as to demand a higher price and limited availability.  As I have said many times here, Havana smokes seem to be losing that special edge they once had.  The smokes seem to all taste the same to me, and have been for a decade or more.  This cigar was outstanding, but it needed to be.  I have been smoking so many standard-line havanas lately, and the taste is just appalling.  The draws are bad, the filler, lackluster, the combination, just awful.  People lamented during the beginning stages of the limited and regional special cigars, why Havana was attempting such a thing when their regular line-up of cigars was still so poorly quality-controlled.  What they have basically said to the consumer is, "YES, you can still get an excellent cigar out of Cuba.  The trouble is, now you have to pay extra for it."  There was a time when just the word Havana, Cuba on the box meant you were in for something special.  Those days are gone.  This was a really fine cigar.  But my last 5-6 were just weak and actually made me a little bit angry.

My apologies to Greg in NC for wasting an inch or more of this fantastic cigar.  I will not get another one, and this one was certainly a real treat.  Your generosity is boundless.  I would score it highly just on the fact that I finally got a good smoke out of my collection.  But that is letting my last 5-6 cigars color my impressions of THIS smoke.   So before I score it, let me say one thing unequivically.  This cigar was PERFECTLY rolled and the blend seemed to be quite well done.  I wish they were all like this.  Still great, but the score does not reflect the special nature of the release.  Too many of the points are being awarded on the sheer perfection of the construction....87 points