A good friend of mine, who is an expert in cigars, has been very influencial in helping me find new smokes that I’ll enjoy. Cigars are a real crapshoot, because while some might consider one a treasure, others will wonder how this piece of garbage ever hit the market. Sancho Panza’s production line has increased over the years, and they’ve become quite successful with numerous offerings of natural or maduro wrapper cigars. My friend recommended the Sancho Panza Valiente, which is a 5×50 natural, and according to him packed quite a punch. He was right about that, and while I do love full bodied cigars, there are just some that go a bit too far. While a La Flor Double Ligero or Punch Champion is known for knocking you down, I didn’t expect to get my tail handed to me by a Sancho Panza. I’ve had a few of their smokes over the years, and have found them to all be medium to medium-full bodied.
The Samcho Panza Valiente is manufactured in Honduras, so you aren’t going to get a “wimpy” cigar from them. Yet the Valiente has Nicaraguan tobacco, just like their other cigars, so I expected to get a stogie with some bite but not earn a headache in the process. Unfortunately, that’s what happened, because after lighting one of these up I had to pop a couple of aspirins. The aftertaste with these is acrid, and stayed with me for hours after smoking it. I even tasted the cigar the next day, and thankully I have enough respect for my friend who recommended this, not to give him a tongue lashing over it. I don’t know why he likes these so much, as what really destroys this product is its overwhelming strength.
A Cohiba XV is known as “the cigar that must have steroids in it,” but this one really kicked me by the seat of my pants. I had a good sized dinner, so it wasn’t as if I smoked this on an empty stomach. Upon lighting it, I coughed for quite a while, and hoped that it would mellow out a bit. It did not at all, and while I was able to taste a bit of chocolate and citrus, the majority of the flavoring was just acidic, and downright too painful to enjoy. I’m surprised that Nicaraguan tobacco could have this effect, and while there was some sweetness in the middle, I barely noticed it even with a lot of cooling.(ie.breaks)
This cigar has a rather “rough and ready” appearance, which goes well with its brutish strength. You aren’t going to see this stogie featured on any magazine covers, and unless you hate your boss, I wouldn’t recommend it as part of a gift box present. Cutting it did take a bit of work, because while my guillotine device is sharp enough to be considered a weapon, it took considerable effort to take off the top of the cigar. Lighting it was fairly straightforward, and along with the overwhelming flavor, is a aroma t hat will make others run the other direction. I was waiting for klaxons to ring, and announcements yelling “Danger, Avoid the Fumes” as I puffed away on this.
One winning aspect is the draw. You can puff just a bit, and fill your mouth with loads of smoke volume. If this cigar had a better flavor, and less overwhelming strength, it would be a “match made in Heaven.” This would be a great pick for smoke rings, but due to its bitter flavors, I wouldn’t even want to do that. It’s a shame, as I’ve really enjoyed other products from this company, and have always found them to be a great value. You can get one of these for around $3.50-$4.00, but there are much better full bodied cigars on the market. My recommendation is to avoid these, because while most Sancho Panza’s are a treat, this one is a disaster.
