Cigar Geeks - Southern Draw Cigars Rose of Sharon Lancero

Cigar Geeks Geek Critique

Southern Draw Cigars Rose of Sharon Lancero
Written by Cigar Geeks Member: ntanner

86
Cigar Geeks Rating

Welcome to another Member sponsored Geek Critique. This one has been generously sponsored by our member nickthafish (Nick). The cigar provided for this round is the http://www.cigargeeks.com/cigardb/default.asp?action=showcig&cigar_id=158165">Southern Draw Cigars Rose of Sharon Lancero. Hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua – The Rose of Sharon embraces a unique blend. The natural cloud cover of Ecuador has supplied us with a prized wrapper, a velvety feel, gentle sweetness and a toasty burn, our beloved Nicaragua has gifted us with rich and elegant binder and filler tobaccos while the distinct Piloto Cubano of the Dominican Republic adds a dose of boldness and spice that allows this blend live up to its moniker: "She don't know she's beautiful!"

Southern Draw Cigars Rose of Sharon Lancero

Brand:: Southern Draw Cigars
Name:: Rose of Sharon Lancero
Length:: 6.5
Ring Gauge:: 40
Country of Origin:: Nicaragua
Filler:: Dominican Republic
Nicaragua
Binder:: Nicaragua
Wrapper:: Connecticut
Ecuador
Color:: Colorado Claro
Strength:: Mild
Shape:: Lonsdale
Notes:: http://southerndrawcigars.com/our-cigars/rose-of-sharon/

This cigar was enjoyed with Coffee

Pre-Light: 9 Points of 10 Possible

This is my favorite vitola to begin with and then the pink with black and gold trim and the design has me thinking about lingerie and already it's scoring good pre-light despite a slight blemish towards the foot and a rough edge to the wrapper about a inch and a half up, but hell, you don't stop thinking she's pretty just cause she's got a run in her stockings. Nice wrapper leaf, only minor vein lines, closed foot, cap seems well applied with a little pig tail, cannon is solid and the wrapper is a nice looking natural color with no real sheen to it. Looking forward to giving her some heat.

Lighting and Burn: 13 Points of 15 Possible

She takes to the flame well enough but her burn is a bit wavy out of the gate, maybe it was the way I applied the flame or is this a sign of things to come. I soon have my answer as the first 1/2 inch burns quickly and to add insult to injury drops it squarely in my lap.

Despite her lack of manners we push on and only half an inch farther and she is ready to throw her ash again. This time though she gives a bit of warning and we handle it without incident. She never really developed a solid ash and it was a bit darker grey then most but what she lacked in ash quality she more than made up for in smoke production producing beautiful white plumes in great volumes with only a small puff, revealing the fact that she is meant to be taken slowly and enjoyed over time.

Her burn line stayed pretty even after the first inch and never needed correction so aside from her inability to hold her ash she was a wonderful companion for an hour and a half or so.

Construction: 26 Points of 30 Possible

She has a cute little pig tail on the top and closed toe shoes but cutting off her pigtail reveals a good draw. She is long and sleek, her wrapper supple to the touch and her body firm and well bunched if you know what I mean.

After all the pleasantries she did reveal a few flaws, her closed foot wasn't as well packed as it initially appeared to be and the ash she left behind was anything but firm and tended to drop without notice for the first half indicating the pack possibly not being as good as it felt when I ran my fingers over her smooth wrapper but she did eventually get into a decent burn and despite her initial issues were revealed she was still able to recover and leave me with a good impression.

Flavor and Aroma: 38 Points of 45 Possible

First off, she shows her spicey side, bringing a tingle to my sinuses and leaving a charred note on my tongue. In typical female fashion, her bitterness is short lived and she begins to reveal her sweet side, toasted malt with hints of cream and roasted almond. The aftertaste is short and is of slightly sweetened coffee.

As we progress to the second third of our encounter she begins to reveal a more complex side with wood and walnut, cream and malt with an espresso background and her spice has settled into a nice groove. Maybe I took things to fast at first but slowing down and letting her lead the pace is proving beneficial.

As we come to our last bit of time together and I remove her final band revealing the last of her smooth tan wrapper she begins to turn up her heat again, the spice tingling in my sinuses again, but not like at first. Not as harsh, perhaps because I know her now I find it more pleasant and in line with her tastes, woods and toasted almonds with walnut, light cream and in these final puffs a berry note she has been holding back till the end along with her espresso undertones. She is more earthy than sweet but with patience and reserve her sweet side can be found.

Summary

First off, thanks for letting me participate in this one Nick.

Now to the point, this is a solid smoke producer with a nice earthy profile. You have to be gentle with her though or your not going to get the full range she is capable of. Even a gentle puff releases large amounts of smoke but she likes to rest a bit longer between draws if you want to get to her sweet side. As one of the Geeks said, Bruce or one of the other curmudgeons, hell if I can remember right now. Point is, she needs to be sipped, that was the term they used, sipped. If you do that with this one it's a good smoke.