Quick Smoke: El Tiante La Leyenda Julieta

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

If memory serves, I received this cigar (7 x 47) as a pre-release sample back when it came out in 2009, only a little before my colleague reviewed the pyramid size. The now discontinued blend celebrates Louis Tiant’s 1968 season with the Cleveland Indians, a year in which he won 21 games. It has a Sumatra-seed Ecuadorian wrapper and a Nicaraguan Habano binder with three different ligeros from Nicaragua and seco tobaccos from both Nicaragua and Honduras. The result (after almost four years of age) is a medium-bodied smoke with an interesting combination of earth and a damp Davidoff-esque musty flavor. The legendary Cuban pitcher is now working with Don Pepin Garcia for his El Tiante lines, and while I also enjoy those cigars (though they are very different profiles) I would be pleased if I found a few more of these in the bottom of my humidor.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys