The Lonsdales of Christmas, Day 16 - Sancho Panza Molinos

Sunday, January 9th, 2011

Sancho Panza is one of the less known Habanos brands. The company was registered in 1848 and they have produced 13 vitolas, 3 of which are still in regular production. They are known to be mild and have a distinctive grassy and woody flavour profile. Their most popular vitola is the belicoso and the brand is more popular in Spain. One of the 3 cigars in current production is the Molinos, and it is the lonsdale I will be reviewing this cold evening.

The Molinos was introduces way before the revolution. It is a Cervante, measuring 6.5″ in length by42 ring gauge. They have only been available in dress boxes of 25 since their release. I am not sure of the age of my cigar, but I should be able to take a guess as all the Sanchos seem to develop similarly while aging.

Appearance 13 /15

The Molinos is a well constructed cigar, with a smooth and shiny light Colorado wrapper that has very little prominent veins. The bunch is normal, with some inconsistencies, as it is spongy on the bottom and harder on the head. The cap is round and well applied and the prelight draw is perfect.

Flavour & Body 20 /25

The cigar has a smooth and gentle character from the first draw, with grassy and flavours and a long salty finish. The flavours get sweeter after smoking the first inch and the body is mild. The finish is long, with a little touch of ammonia. The Molinos remains sweet and grassy on the second third, with tones of wood. The acidic finish has disappeared, and the finish has now hints of white pepper. The last third is the cigar’s sweetspot as it turns to mild to medium and the flavours become deeper. Salt, beech, grass, wood and tobacco, with a sweet and spicy finish, the cigar has a very pleasant finish.

Draw & Burn 23 / 25

The cigar draws really well from the first draw and until the last. Without any inconsistencies, it delivers plenty of thick smoke with just the right amount of resistance. The burn is even all the way through, with the ash being light grey and flaky, falling off every half inch. Could find anything to fault, it may just needed to be a little more firm to hold a longer ash.

Overall 31 / 35

The Molinos is a pleasant and tame cigar. Sweet and mild, it is ideal for the smoker that prefers light cigars, but a little too light for my liking. It’s construction was exceptional and the draw and burn were effortless. I have to agree that these require a lot of age. Not knowing the exact age of my cigar, I would say that it was roughly between 3 to 5 years old, as the Sancho Panzas in general are very bland when young. This cigar did show some flavours, which makes me think that it does have some age. When will this cigar smoke well? According to Min Ron Nee, they need 10 to 20 years of age and I have no reason to disagree.

TOTAL 87 / 100