Saturday, July 16 2011
Country of Origin: Honduras
Size/Strength: 5" x 50 / Medium (full-flavored)
Wrapper: Honduran Criollo
Filler: Nicaraguan Jalapa
Binder: Sumatra
Presentation: Box of 20 cigars
For obvious reasons, I'm usually a bit reticent when it comes to writing about cigars that are exclusive to Famous Smoke Shop. The last thing I want to come off as is a shill. But several nights ago I had one of the house brands that was recently been made over from blend to band. I'm referring to the new Bayamo cigars, and I was so impressed with it I just had to make it my cigar of the week.
Introduced in 2000, the cigars were originally named Bayamo Superiores. They were made in Honduras with a diverse five-nation blend rolled in buttery, Ecuadorian-grown
Colorado wrappers. I was a fan of them then, but the new blend, now made at Raices Cubanas is like night and day. This is a much more flavorful cigar with much higher quality and
very reasonably priced.
The new Bayamo blend is simpler, yet impressively well-balanced and complex. The cigars are handmade with a medium-bodied mix of Nicaraguan Jalapa longfillers, Sumatra binder and a dark, savory Honduran-grown Criollo wrapper. The smoke was creamy, nutty, woody and laced with a ribbon of sweetness. As the cigar works its way toward the mid-section, notes of espresso and spice were revealed, and the smoke was much more intense, bordering on a more full-bodied smoke in the latter stages.
I smoked the Robusto down to a finger-burning stub, and I'm certain that with some extra aging time in the humidor, this cigar will settle into an even smoother experience. The only negative was the burn, which tended to angle, but eventually straightened itself out.
If you enjoy a lot of the Alec Bradley cigars, many of which are made at Raices Cubanas, you may have a better appreciation for this new Bayamo. Be as cynical as you want of my remarks, but I highly recommend you give this all-new Bayamo a fair chance.
See pricing and offers for all Bayamo cigars.
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