As you might have seen over the past few weeks, I’ve done some Pre-Reviews which allow me to document my experiences with a cigar and provide my thoughts. Some of these were pre-releases are now available generally – and others are simply cigars I’ve had more of a chance to try.  In each of these cases, I’d like to bring closure and provide a solid assessment rating.

Rather than repeat history, I’ve summarized the assessment rating and linked to the Pre-Review.

La Palina El Diario

La Palina El Diario

The bar was set high in 2011 for Bill Paley and his team at La Palina Cigars.  Last year, the Family Series proved to be nothing short of a home run delivering two cigars on in my Top 7 for Cigar of the Year.  This year, La Palina released El Diario.  The El Diario comes in at a lower price point, but maintains the high standards from a  La Palina cigar we became accustomed to last year.  The flavors of the El Diario are complex.  The El Diario is a stronger cigar than the Family Series, but it still provides the balance between cigar strength and cigar body that is often hard to achieve.

Here is a link to the Pre-Review I did on the La Palina El Diario.

Assessment: Memorable

E.P. Carrillo Core Line Maduro

E.P. Carrillo Maduro

It seems like everyone is trying to re-invent what a good maduro cigar is.  For Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and his team at E.P. Carrillo, he went back to basics – constructing a maduro that has lots of flavor, while still on the upper end of the strength spectrum.  EPC is known for some of the best constructed cigars in the industry – and the Core Line Maduro is no exception.

Here is a link to the Pre-Review I did on the E.P. Carrillo Core Line Maduro.

Assessment: Memorable

PDR 1878 Reserva Dominicana Capa Habana

PDR 1878 Reserva Dominicana Capa Habana

I was lucky enough to be able to purchase a box of these cigars before they were sold to the general public.  The Capa Habana is not the strongest cigar of Abe Flores’ PDR 1878 line, but it has become my favorite in terms of flavor.  It’s been three months since I wrote the initial pre-review on this cigar – and it was good then, but now it is even better.  Over this time period, I’ve noticed the cigar smoke smoother and the flavor notes more robust.

Here is a link to the Pre-Review I did on the PDR 1878 Reserva Dominicana Capa Habana.

Assessment: Nice to Have