Initial Thoughts:
While I've had cigars from Pichardo Cigars before, it's not a brand with which I have some expertise. However, today's cigar, the Pichardo Reserva Familiar Habano Corona Gorda looks good and appears to be well-constructed, so let's dive in!
Visually, the Pichardo Reserva Familiar is medium brown in color and everything appears to be in order. The foot had nice, consistent coloring, and the veins in the wrapper seemed to all be dehumidified and pressed well.
Physically, the cigar did feel a little light, but I wasn't sure it was a build-quality question. The pre-light aroma of the Pichardo Reserva Familiar Habano was of dry leaves, but it did smell good.
Once I'd lit the cigar, the flavors were light and not super heavy. Through the first third, the burn was slightly uneven, but not bad.
CigarScore:
Brand: Pichardo
Line: Reserva Familiar Habano
Size: 5 3/5 x 46
Cut: V-Cut
Light: Torch
Price: $10.50 – CigarClub
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic
Smoke Time: 60 minutes
Through the middle of the cigar, there were a couple of construction problems, specifically, two cracks that opened up in the wrapper.
Also, the flavors were quite mixed; I tasted something spicy and sweet at the same time, and it was almost like a candied pepper.
Final Thoughts
While my Pichardo Reserva Familiar Habano Corona Gorda did have a couple of minor construction problems (ie cracks and excessive glue), I enjoyed the flavors.
The flavors of a candied pepper were like nothing I've tasted before, and after hundreds of cigar reviews, the cigar earns points for uniqueness.
However, for $11, I think the Pichardo Reserva Familiar Habano Corona Gorda is a little expensive, especially since it only smoked for about 60 minutes.
But at the end of the hour, this cigar had delicious and complex flavors, an almost perfect burn, and a great draw. The Pichardo Reserva Familiar Habano Corona Gorda was surprisingly good and earns a CigarScore 5.
