Initial Thoughts:
The first thing I noticed about the Patoro Gran Anejo Reserva Churchill was that it reminded me of communism. The red background with the light gold star, it's like this cigar should be thwarting democracy and oppressing people everywhere.
Potentially offensive comments aside, Patoro Cigars has been around for about 20 years, even though nobody's heard of them. The Patoro Gran Anejo Reserva Churchill seemed to be a remake or reblending of the tobaccos that made Patoro “successful” a long time ago. Sprinkling in a dash of optimism… “oh cool, a ‘let's return to our roots' classic!”
Giving the cigar a sniff, I couldn't smell much from the Ecuadorian wrapper. Once the cigar was lit, it had a perfect draw and cold draw flavors that were woody, predominantly cedar.
After a few minutes, the draw was good, the burn was good, and the flavors were okay, with hints of lemon or some other citrus.
CigarScore:
Brand: Patoro
Line: Gran Anejo Reserva
Size: 7 1/2 x 50
Cut: V-Cut
Light: Torch
Price: $19.36 – Luxury Cigar Club
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Smoke Time: n/a
Through the middle of the cigar, the construction proved to be fairly good. While the burn wasn't razor-sharp, it was mostly even. The draw was also great and I was able to get plenty of smoke on each puff.
However, the flavors continued to be somewhat sour.
Final Thoughts
I have two main issues with the Patoro Gran Anejo Reserva Churchill. First, there were some construction issues. Second, the sour flavors weren't ones I fell in love with.
In the first half, the construction was pretty good. The draw was great and the burn was fairly decent. However, all that changed in the second half, when it appeared that the Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf had too much moisture in it.
While I might be able to look beyond the odd flavors, when combined with the other problems with this cigar, I have to take them into account. Because of the construction issues, mediocre flavors, and a price point that's too high, the Patoro Gran Anejo Reserva Churchill earns a CigarScore 3.
