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Written by Administrator |
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Sunday,
15 October 2006 |
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Tabacos de la CordilleraTM
ColinasTM
Churchil
rating: 88
A little more than six months ago we had the
opportunity to review a small brand cigar
from Tabacos de la Cordillera named the
Colinas. We sampled a few of the Robustos
and were pleasantly surprised by the taste
of the cigar, whose claim to fame is 100%
genetically pure Cuban seed tobacco, which
lends a Cuban flavor to the smoke without
falling under the pesky import restrictions.
Now, six months down the line we are
reviewing the larger Churchill size of the
same brand. Although some of the same minor
problems still plague the latest Churchills
that were present in the Robustos, overall
the quality of the cigars has gotten a
little better. The Colinas are only
available through the company's website, at
www.tabacordillera.com. |
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The wrapper of the Colinas
is a little darker than would be expected if
the cigar was smoked blind, as the Colinas'
intensity tips a little to the mild side.
Visually the Colinas have a rustic look,
with a few veins protruding from the not
entirely smooth length of the cigar. Fears
of an uneven smoke are quickly put to rest
however as the cigar burns down to the band
– that is, if the band is left on. We
mentioned before that the band of the
Colinas isn't very regal. Coupled with the
fact that the Colinas come in bundles rather
than boxes, these sticks look every bit the
$2.85 cigar they are. However, the smoking
experience leaves the smoker feeling like
they got a value, and that they are smoking
a higher priced boxed cigar. |
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One of the aforementioned
minor problems is with the ash of the
Colinas. As the cigar burns down the ash
becomes textured and cracked, rather than
the sharp as a razor, hard ash that we see
in more premium cigars. This problem is only
minor because it doesn't really affect the
smoking experience, other than that the
smoker needs to be more mindful that the ash
doesn't suddenly drop into his or her lap.
More typically, soft and cracked ash is
indicative of a poorly constructed cigar –
one that burns hot, fast, and uneven. The
Colinas however, don't suffer from these
problems. The cracked, black and gray
streaked ash is simply less aesthetically
pleasing than the solid white ash that we as
smokers are used to seeing in cigar ads. In
fact, the Colinas are a surprisingly cool
smoke, and rarely is any correction to the
burn necessary. Also, with the slow burn the
Churchills become a fairly lengthy
experience. |
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The only other true problem
that can be said about the Colinas is lack
of iron-clad consistency. This isn't to say
that there are dramatic shifts in
consistency from cigar to cigar, but there
were times that the burn wasn't quite as
even as the others, or where the taste
wasn't the same as the other sticks. For the
cigars that were similar, the flavors were
mild but they blended together well. In
fact, after the first 1/3 of the cigar it
was difficult to differentiate much between
the grassy, woody, and very slight metallic
flavors. The flavor and intensity were mild,
and were devoid of sweetness, bitterness,
and saltiness. |
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Other than problems with
consistency and ash, the Colinas were a very
enjoyable smoke for the price. They are a
great cigar to buy a bundle of to throw in
the humidor when you just want to have a
light, easy smoke that doesn't burn the
mouth or throat, and will not leave a foul
aftertaste in your mouth. These certainly
won't replace your Cohibas, Fuentes, or
Upmanns, but these may become a bundled
cigar of preference. Because these aren't
quite on par with some of the more premium
names, we didn't score the Churchills much
higher than the Robustos. However, it would
seem that these do deserve a slightly higher
score due to the enhancements made, although
according to our scoring metric the overall
score didn't come out to be higher than the
88 we gave the Robusto, most likely because
the Robustos were slightly more consistent.
Last Updated ( Sunday, 15 October 2006 ) |
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Our final score for the Colinas
Churchill cigar
is: 88 |
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"Ancestral
Cuban seeds grow the world's finest cigars™" |
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