Sol Cubano Special Dark

Gaetano7890

I picked a few of these up a couple of weeks ago and didn't really think much about it. I have never had a Pinar del rio smoke before but have been wanting to. This particular smoke was reasonably priced and the minute I took it out of the cello I thought wow. It had a nice oily sheen on it and it smelled good with notes of dark chocolate and coffee with a hint of ligero. There were few veins one was pretty pronounced, the taste of the cigar of the wrapper was a little spicey which I love. The cigar it self was pack full with no soft spots, this cigar was very tight and heavy in the hand. When I cut I was surprised because the pre lit draw was a lot less tight than I thought due to how pack this cigar was. The first fewb puffs were a little tight but it opened up quickly and produced tons of smoke. When I lit it up I immediately got a rush of flavors some coffee with what I think was a little cedar. Usually I don't get into a cigar right away but this I loved right off the bat it took no time for the flavor to build I felt that it was a full cigar that would also appeal to medium smoker because it wasn't overpowering but it def had enough kick to keep me interested (i love strong cigars) and this one did not disappoint. It had a nice tingle on the retro hale almost to the end. I loved this cigar and am very excited to try more from Abe Flores because this cigar was that good. I will have to put this blender higher on my list because for the price I am amazed at how good it is def a sleeper and a must try.

j0z3r

Interesting. I didn't know this was made by PDR, I've been a fan of the Oliva and AJ made Sol Cubano lines in the past. This one has caught my eye a time or two...perhaps I'll have to grab a couple.

Amos_Umwhat

I got these and the Classic on the DD a couple weeks ago. I loved the Classic, smoked it Friday night, but the Special Dark I had last night was a dud, there was a flaw in the filler that kept it burning up the middle, concave, the wrapper lagging far behind. Kept touching it up for a long time, though, as it was obviously a nice blend of tobacco.
Hopefully the next one won't have such issues, glad to hear yours didn't. When something like this happens, it's usually just the one cigar, although there have been exceptions.
.

laker1963

Amos Umwhat:

I got these and the Classic on the DD a couple weeks ago. I loved the Classic, smoked it Friday night, but the Special Dark I had last night was a dud, there was a flaw in the filler that kept it burning up the middle, concave, the wrapper lagging far behind. Kept touching it up for a long time, though, as it was obviously a nice blend of tobacco.
Hopefully the next one won't have such issues, glad to hear yours didn't. When something like this happens, it's usually just the one cigar, although there have been exceptions.
.

Sounds like it might be a good candidate for dry boxing for a day before you try another bro. I was wondering about these two blends to try. I have liked a lot of the sol cubano lines.

Amos_Umwhat

laker1963:

Amos Umwhat:

I got these and the Classic on the DD a couple weeks ago. I loved the Classic, smoked it Friday night, but the Special Dark I had last night was a dud, there was a flaw in the filler that kept it burning up the middle, concave, the wrapper lagging far behind. Kept touching it up for a long time, though, as it was obviously a nice blend of tobacco.
Hopefully the next one won't have such issues, glad to hear yours didn't. When something like this happens, it's usually just the one cigar, although there have been exceptions.
.

Sounds like it might be a good candidate for dry boxing for a day before you try another bro. I was wondering about these two blends to try. I have liked a lot of the sol cubano lines.

Dry box might be a good idea, I'll try that with the next one for sure. Had another classic last night, repeat of the first, another great cigar.

Alex_Svenson

The Sol Cubano line needed some attention so we made some changes. The Cuban Cabinet was always a favorite but the sales were not blowing the roof of and the Oliva made stuff just seemed to be forgotten. We revamped the packaging and discontinued the old packaging. We discontinued the oliva blends and the new lines are "classic" and "special dark" They are both being made by PDR in the Dominican who I think does a tremendous job blending. The two blends are the same but the special dark has a little more punch on account of a higher priming wrapper. The fate of the cuban cabinet is unknown. It will most likely stay the same blend made by AJ but also see a packaging overhaul.

Amos_Umwhat

It would be a shame to lose the Cuban Cabinet, very very nice cigar!

Amos_Umwhat

Amos Umwhat:

laker1963:

Amos Umwhat:

I got these and the Classic on the DD a couple weeks ago. I loved the Classic, smoked it Friday night, but the Special Dark I had last night was a dud, there was a flaw in the filler that kept it burning up the middle, concave, the wrapper lagging far behind. Kept touching it up for a long time, though, as it was obviously a nice blend of tobacco.
Hopefully the next one won't have such issues, glad to hear yours didn't. When something like this happens, it's usually just the one cigar, although there have been exceptions.
.

Sounds like it might be a good candidate for dry boxing for a day before you try another bro. I was wondering about these two blends to try. I have liked a lot of the sol cubano lines.

Dry box might be a good idea, I'll try that with the next one for sure. Had another classic last night, repeat of the first, another great cigar.

Well, I tried the dry-box for about 6 hours prior to smoking and the result was a much better burn, although it still required frequent touch-ups. About 10 minutes in I picked it up, gave it a couple quick puffs, and got The Most Intense taste of hot cocoa that I've ever gotten from any cigar. Very nice indeed!

I've read that the sense of smell is most closely associated with memory, that odors can bring back strong images, and what followed this cigar experience was an intense memory from my childhood. Sometime in, I think, the summer of '67 my parents and a group of several families from church went on an outing to a lake, I think it was somewhere north or west of Palmer Alaska. My Dad was stationed at Ft. Richardson at the time. I would have been about 11. One night, after spending a long day on the lake supposedly fishing, but mostly imagining myself in various states of aquatic adventure, we all were around a campfire drinking hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows. That was the moment that came back to me, I hadn't thought about it in many years.

Nice benefit from a very nice cigar.