[punk_lawyer]

Panacea Maduro Robusto (5 x 50)

OK, since I have been spending some time reviewing in SaxJazzMan's 'Bundle / Low Cost Cigar Reviews', I decided to step away from that project for a few days. I picked up a fiver of Panacea maduro robustos from Fullerspullers.com . They are as much of a boutique brand as I think can be found and there is just something about trying boutique brands that appeals to me. For this review I will use SJM's scale of '5' being the worst possible and '10' being the best possible with a slightly heavier weight on the grade for construction. (That's what we are doing in the Low Cost arena so I will repeat it here).

I let these cigars rest in my humidor for about a month but I have now smoked two of these. I only have two regrets as I go into the review. 1) I should've smoked the second one with a bourbon instead of a beer since the smoke deserved a better accompaniment and 2) I should've bought the perfecto or torpedo size because I cheated myself out of an inch of good smoking!

Appearance: These cigars come nude with a nice tasteful label. The maduro wrapper is lightly veined with no noticeable problems in texture or color. The first cigar had a near perfect appearance and the second had only a small imperfection along the seam. All things considered these look every bit as good as many premium brands. The pre-light scent of the cigar is sweet but not overwhelmingly strong.

Taste: As I toasted the foot of these, I was pleasantly surprised by the smell of the cigar. Even at the toasting stage there was a smell of sweet coffee. The first draw was not a disappointment as the sweet coffee flavor came through loud and clear. I was happy! This cigar puts out massive volumes of smoke. I am not the kind of reviewer that can pick out every subtle flavor but there were plenty of coffee and almond flavors coming through to me. The flavor profile kept consistent down to about an inch when I finally put it down. This one brings a nice nicotine delivery that falls short of being a 'head ripper' but let's you know there is some good tobacco in the mix.

I was pleased by the taste and I wonder how this cigar would progress with a little more aging.

Construction: Whoever is rolling these things in the Dominican Republic takes their craft seriously. I had an even burn from start to finish and the wrapper kept pace throughout. The ash held on for as long as I would let it. There were no soft spots in the cigars and it burned cool from start to finish.


Grades:

Appearance: 8.8
Taste: 8.8
Construction: 9.2

TOTAL: 8.97

After having smoked two of these cigars, I am of the opinion that the makers of Panacea want their brand to be a quality smoke. The two that I smoked had a high volume of very fragrant smoke. I am giving what amounts to a very high grade for me. I like this one and I would love to try the natural wrapper varieties.

[Ginseng]

punk_lawyer, on Aug 2 2008, 11:14 PM, said:

After having smoked two of these cigars, I am of the opinion that the makers of Panacea want their brand to be a quality smoke. The two that I smoked had a high volume of very fragrant smoke.

Very fine review! This sounded like a great cigar.

Lately, I've been paying more attention to the smoke that comes off the burning end of the cigar. Dave calls that the "trailing" smoke so I've adopted that terminology although I don't know if this is an official term or if one exists. In any case, some cigars strike me as fragrant, others powerful and "old school," while others just plain reek. Smoking a cigar with a pleasant or interesting in-air aroma is an added bonus that not all makers are able to pull off. It's always quite a different thing from the drawn smoke and when good, really adds to the experience.

Wilkey

[MadMonk]

Nice review. I'll eventually get a few. Didn't Panacea Join CP?

[mjolnir01]

Ginseng, on Aug 3 2008, 05:30 AM, said:

punk_lawyer, on Aug 2 2008, 11:14 PM, said:

After having smoked two of these cigars, I am of the opinion that the makers of Panacea want their brand to be a quality smoke. The two that I smoked had a high volume of very fragrant smoke.

Very fine review! This sounded like a great cigar.

Lately, I've been paying more attention to the smoke that comes off the burning end of the cigar. Dave calls that the "trailing" smoke so I've adopted that terminology although I don't know if this is an official term or if one exists. In any case, some cigars strike me as fragrant, others powerful and "old school," while others just plain reek. Smoking a cigar with a pleasant or interesting in-air aroma is an added bonus that not all makers are able to pull off. It's always quite a different thing from the drawn smoke and when good, really adds to the experience.

Wilkey

x2... this sounds like a very good botique cigar that will be worth checking out. I've never dealt with fullerspullers.com before, but if you've had good luck with them, that's good enough for me.

I've never been good at smelling much in the smoke after a few draws on the cigar. I rely on my wife, a non-smoker, to let me know if it smells good-- her favorites for aroma are the Oliva Serie G and the CAO Brazillia-- or bad-- the smell of a Padron Londres almost made her sick

Barry

[Keystone_Raider]

MadMonk, on Aug 3 2008, 01:13 AM, said:

Nice review. I'll eventually get a few. Didn't Panacea Join CP?

Yes, a couple days ago. I carry Panacea in my shop and it is a good cigar.

Flatbed Cigar Company which distributes Panacea is headquartered in Bucks County PA , owned by Paul Bush.

[punk_lawyer]

I feel good about Doc at Stogie Fresh and I being on the same page with this one: http://www.stogiefresh.com/journal/Cigar_J...a_Perfecto.html