Cigar Review: Flores y Rodriguez 10th Anniversary Reserva Limitada Wide Churchill

Last spring, Pinar del Rio announced it would launch a cigar to celebrate 10 years since the opening of its factory in Tamboril, Dominican Republic. “The Flores y Rodriguez Reserva Limitada is a creation to commemorate a decade of passion, commitment, and artistry,” reads a press release from May 2014. “Abe Flores and the Rodriguez Brothers came together 10 years ago to create the Pinar del Rio cigar brand and began a journey that has led to the PDR Cigar factory now creating some of the most acclaimed cigars on the market.”

Today, the 10th Anniversary isn’t difficult to find. And when you do come across a tobacconist that carries it, you won’t have trouble locating the brand on the shelf. The band’s raised borders and graphics of white really pop off the dark green background. At least to my eye, this is one of those bands that stands out and cuts through the clutter.

Beneath the band is a toothy, thinly veined, medium-brown Habano Ecuador wrapper that sports a fair amount of oils. It surrounds an Olor binder from the Dominican Republic and seven-year-old Piloto filler tobacco “complemented by the finest tobacco from Nicaragua’s Jalapa Valley.” Three vitolas are available: Robusto (5 x 52, $9), Grand Toro (6 x 54, $10), and Wide Churchill (5.1 x 58, $11).

I smoked three Wide Churchills for this review. One of the samples—the one pictured, in fact—had a tiny green discoloration (sometimes referred to as “frog’s eyes”) that’s harmless and, in my opinion, detracts nothing from the experience. The other two cigars were devoid of any green patches. All three had potent pre-light notes of green raisin.

After setting an even light, the Wide Churchill yields an initial profile that’s dry, medium-bodied, and reminiscent of natural tobacco with white pepper, bread, and a little cayenne spice. Given the cigar’s pre-light aroma, I was expecting dried fruit to play at least a background role in the flavor, but that isn’t really the case. Instead, as the cigar progresses, sugar and cream help add balance as black pepper slowly grows in intensity. The texture remains bready.

At the halfway mark and beyond, the body moves into the medium-full to full range, yet I’m not noticing any nicotine kick. The flavors remain consistent, except for the welcome addition of cashew. Construction-wise, the Wide Churchill performs admirably with an even burn line, solid ash, easy draw, and good smoke production.

Pinar del Rio makes some excellent cigars that are priced very affordably. While the Flores y Rodriguez 10th Anniversary Reserva Limitada is on the pricier side, you get what you pay for. With loads of flavor and nice balance, this cigar rates an impressive four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys