Origin : Cuba
Format : Regalo / Britanicas
Size : 137 x 18.26 mm
Ring : 46
Weight : 9.34 g
Box code : SMB NOV 07
Hand-Made
Price : $300+ for a box of 25
We would like to express our gratitude to Richard Cordero who took amazing photographs for this review. Thank you!
Habanos Edicion Limitada 2007. To read the advertising on this cigar one would think it would provide something of a religious experience. Where it was an amazing experience, it took some work to get there. There are still, unfortunately, some hit and miss issues from the Island South of Miami.
Appearance : Rating: 
The dual banding scheme on this cigar is quite appealing, and elegant. Its medium brown wrapper is quite oily. It is smooth, and well rolled. Rather enticing, begging to be smoked.
Construction : Rating: 
The cigar is not quite firm. It is slightly spongy. There are no soft spots per sea. Rather there is a lack of overall mass. This translates negatively to the tactile sensation in the hand. The draw is generous and acceptable for this ring gauge. It produces prolific volumes of gray smoke with a smoked hardwood aroma. Burn is fairly precise and slightly broad. The ligero bunching is acceptable. The ash is medium gray with streaks and slightly flaky, although it does hold firm to the body.
Flavor : Rating:
First third, creamy textured smoke that coats the palette nicely. It is savory with an underlying sweetness. It offers flavors of rich tobacco and a tannic quality that reminds me of persimmon. There is a subdued note of cedar on the retro-hale.
Second third is of smoky hardwoods with a slight green peppercorn spice and earth. The sweetness is persistent, yet subdued.
Finish is quite complex, and enjoyable with flavors of Leather, green peppercorn spice and tangy. This has been an enjoyable evolution.
Value : Rating:
At nearly 7£ per stick and 350USD per box, one would expect a bit more I would think. The performance to price ratio is quite skewed in my opinion. Especially considering that other marques are providing so much more performance at a much more realistic price point. (i.e. Montecristo Edumundo.)
Overall Rating : Rating:
I have at this time sampled 4 of these from the same box code, and 1 from a different box code. I must say that I am somewhat nonplussed. Where I truly love the characteristics of Cuban Tobacco, this cigar suffers somewhat from some quality control issues. The wrapper is beautiful in its color, but, it does have a few bumps. The roll on some is oblong. The burn on some was irregular and quite broad. I believe the tobaccos in this blend to be of amazing quality, providing for an amazing flavor profile. However; precision construction is required to be able to experience the tobaccos in their fullest. There is an unfortunate lack of quality execution in this dynamic. Some say that Cuban cigars require time to age. This is true with some, however I believe that this cigar’s performance is at its zenith. No amount of ageing will compensate for shoddy construction.
I was hoping for an amazing experience with this vitola, considering its lineage and the expectations of the Edicion Limitada concept. And I definitely found it; however, it took far too much work to achieve. I am enamored with its format. When quality execution is present it is an amazing experience. That being said, the performance of some of these examples was frankly sub-par for an Edicion Limitada. At one point I set one cigar down for no more than 3 min. Upon my return, I found it had extinguished itself requiring a relight. For an EL seeking to become its own star this is completely unacceptable, especially considering the price. Thankfully there are many other offerings from Habanos that completely outstrips and outperforms this particular cigar in all aspects. To that end I am only able to provide a “Try” recommendation. Sure some will say, well, you got a bad box. Perhaps this is true. But, this is, after all, an Edicion Limitada. There shouldn’t ever be a “bad box” with an EL.
Live well my friends!
