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Best 50¢ Handmade Cigar I've Tried: Flor de Gonzalez LonsdaleOct 15 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Lonsdale cigars are one of my favorite styles of cigar. When they are available for under $1 each, I will investigate them as this truly is a bargain price.
In the world of handmade cigars, one rarely finds a product that sells for under $1 apiece. Even when purchased from wholesalers in bundles of 25, handmade cigars will cost $25 or more -- depending on the size and style of the cigar. One might find a petit corona or a panatela cigar for under a buck apiece, but it is rare to see Lonsdale or Churchill sized cigars in this price range. Recently, however, I stumbled upon a special offer from J.R. Cigars of North Carolina: a handmade cigar from Panama that retails for about $.50 a stick. At that price, I had to buy a box and satisfy my curiosity. Last month, I wrote a review about Lonsdale cigars in general: http://www.epinions.com/content_2192482436 In the review -- a "Cigar Buying Guide: How To Choose Lonsdale Cigars" -- I described what a Lonsdale cigar is, and I recommended some well-known cigar brands ranging in price from $1.50 apiece on the low end to as much as $6.60 apiece on the high end (Cohiba Lonsdale Grande, Dominican Republic; single-sale retail price is as high as $25 apiece). Fortunately, Epinions permits multiple reviews to be posted in the "Cigar Buying Guide" section of the Gourmet category, so I herewith provide some details on a remarkably priced handmade cigar from Panama: the Flor de Gonzalez Lonsdale. Flor de Gonzalez Lonsdale -------------------------------------------------- This cigar is advertised as being 6½" in length and having a ring gauge of 44 (44/64ths of an inch in diameter). The cigars I received were actually 7-inches long (with a ring gauge of 44). This is a somewhat long Lonsdale, as most are made to be about 1" longer than a typical Corona-sized cigar (5½"). This cigar is handmade in Panama. The wrapper leaf is a Costa Rican grown Sumatra leaf and the binder tobacco is from Indonesia. The wrapper is medium-brown in color and is not the highest quality wrapper that one could expect to see in a handmade cigar, but it is quite adequate. Tobacco at the cigar's cap was bunched fairly tight, so the head (aka, the butt) of the cigar had to be pinched a little to open the draw. The filler is not a long filler. Rather, this cigar is made with mixed-filled and sandwiched tobaccos from the Dominican Republic. I pulled one of these cigars apart to investigate its construction. While the wrapper and binder leaf looked to be of decent quality, I did see that there was a wide range of quality evident in the filler mix. Some of the filler product was quite blotchy and unattractive, even a little green in color and appearing to not be fully cured. Some of the filler was whole leaf and long, but most of it was shredded in large pieces and twisted within the longer cuts of tobacco. In aroma, the unlit cigar had a pleasant cedar wood smell some mint-leaf highlights. In the draw, this cigar featured wood, some green vegetal tones (not entirely unpleasant), and a dry cocoa edge. For such an inexpensive cigar, this one was a decent, medium-bodied smoke. Price and Availability -------------------------------------------------- A true bargain. I purchased a box of 25 of these cigars from J.R. Cigars (www.jrcigars.com). Price: discounted to $11.95 per box of 25 (the original price was $25 per box). Each cigar is individually banded and wrapped in cellophane; these cigars are packaged in a cardboard box, which can be gift-wrapped if you are thinking of buying an inexpensive gift for a cigar smoker. Recommendation -------------------------------------------------- Not a great cigar, but a cigar that is much better than most machine-made cigars, nonetheless. Moreover, it is a cigar that is cheaper than most machine made cigars, and more flavorful to boot. A perfect cigar for the bowling alley (where its allowed, certainly not in California), the golf course, or something that one could enjoy while working in the garage. There is no reason to buy a box of Muriels, El Productos, White Owls, or Dutch Master cigars when you can find a superior handmade cigar, made from 100% tobacco and no paper fillers, at a cheaper price. For $10 more per box, one could purchase the higher-quality, long-filler version of this Lonsdale cigar featuring a Sumatran wrapper, an Indonesian binder, and filler tobacco from the Dominican Republic. Original manufacturer's retail price: $137.50 -- J.R.'s price: $24.95 for a box of 25. (Unfortunately, this line is temporarily out of stock.) Verdict: a 2½-star cigar, but recommended for its value price. Definitely smokeable.  |
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by toiletoctopus
