San Cristobal El Principe - Cigar Review

Tonight I’m smoking the San Cristobal El Principe, a Cigar I bought in The Bear Shop in Cardiff this evening just when it was closing. I’m not that familiar with the brand, the only other San Cristobal I have smoked is the Mercaderes, and that was one of the best Cigars I’ve have ever had the privilege to smoke. A smooth cocoa finish that was a joy from first to last inch.

Anyway, back to the El Principe. The cigar measures at 4.3 inches by 40 ring gauge, making it a Tres Petit Corona. I’m a big fan when it comes to Petit and Tres Petit Coronas. They are a good 40 minute smoke that will last an episode of your favourite U.S. TV Show.

Cutting the Cigar was easy enough but I think I didn’t cut it lower enough. One of the problems that I noticed straight away was a small strand of tobacco that was loose at the head. The picture below shows the loose strand:

Otherwise, the draw was nice and free and it was nice and easy to get lit up. On the first few puffs you get a nice cocoa powder flavour with a bit of pepper. This is a medium to full bodied cigar. I do like the gusto of this Cigar. It will hold nicely with a strong Coffee that has it’s own floral and cocoa overtones.

Throughout the El Principe you get a nice strong Cocoa flavour. Throughout the smoke the El Principe wants to be noticed and won’t let you forget that you’re smoking it. I thoroughly enjoyed this Cigar. The San Cristobal range is often overlooked but are often a hidden gem. Many of the other great niche brands, such as the Ramon Allones and Vegas Robaina get a little more air-time than the San Cristobal, but this doesn’t mean it’s the lesser of these brands.

• Appearance – 11/15
• Draw & Burn – 16/20
• Flavour & Complexity – 27/30
• Overall – 31/35
• Total – 85/100

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