San Cristobal de la Habana Torreon Jar LCDH - 25 cigars

San Cristobal de La Habana Torreon Jar LCDH - 25 cigars [5.9” x 54]

Only 2,000 jars are available worldwide, making it a very exclusive cigar

• • The 25 cigars are store in a beautiful ceramic jar which also serves as humidor
• • Medium bodied cigar at its peak, it is a very enjoyable smoke with lots of woody, leathery flavors mixed with some spices and sweetness
  

A unique cigar of perfect construction that you should not miss

Presentation:

The San Cristobal Torreon comes in a beautiful ceramic jar, which contains its proper humidifier and which is topped with a removable ashtray, that fits 25 cigars with Habanos packing code JAR-CER-C/L-M-n-25

Dimensions:

Length: 150 mm (5.9 inches)

Ring Gauge: 54

Shape: 

Robusto Extra

Appearance:

First of all, this cigar does not come in the usual dress box or even a lacquered wooden box but a very elegant ceramic jar. The particularity of this jar is that it is shaped like a castle tower, where the ashtray crowns the jar with crenellations shaped-like dips. It has to be noted that every cigar from the San Cristobal de La Habana line-up is named after fortresses of La Habana, and the Torreon (or the Turret in English) is the name of the watchtower of El Morro fortress that watches over the port of La Habana. Each jar contains a humidifier system that keeps the cigar fresh and each jar is numbered. Only 2,000 of them have been produced back in 2012, and only for the Habanos Specialist shops and La Casa Del Habanos stores, making it a perfect collector’s find.

The cigar itself was rolled, produced and released in 2013. Its vitola de galera is Geniales, a massive 54 ring gauge by 5.9 inches. It is a pretty cigar, almost veinless, only very fine veins run along the medium brown wrapper, almost as dark as a maduro wrapper. The band of the San Cristobal de La Habana is very elegant despite being simple. The cigar is not silky smooth but still very pleasant between the fingers, especially because of the fine oil exuding from the wrapper. No soft spots at all on the Torreon, it just has the perfect give when squeezed between the fingers. The head is beautifully capped with a nicely executed triple cap.

Smoking Notes:

Before lighting up

Strong aromas emanate from the wrapper, there is some barnyard, wood, roasted nuts, some sweetness and hints of cocoa. The foot at cold has a strong smell of cedar, there is also some gingerbread and some floral notes.

Burn/ Draw

The draw is typically Cuban, with a slight resistance. Just perfect. There are lots of floral flavors (dandelion) in the cold draw, as well as some darker notes, leather, tobacco, roasted nuts, and honey. The cigar seems very smooth. It is indeed smooth when we put it to the flame. There are some notes of coffee and light spices. The first few puffs are very smooth and very enjoyable.

Initial third:

The Torreon starts off with the same flavors as the one detected at cold, there are lots of roasted coffee, roasted nuts, leather, earth and also a good amount of spices, coupled with some honey sweetness. It feels like gingerbread. There is also some floral and vegetal notes (oolong tea), and all these flavors work very well together. The balance between the flavors and the strength is spot on. The strength is at a light to medium at this point of the smoke, it’s not aggressive whatsoever so far. As predicted by its perfect construction, it burns evenly in a razor sharp line, no need to relight or pay attention to it. The ash is holding nicely and has a nice light grey color. The smoke production starts with a thin kind of smoke, but very smooth and creamy which actually gets thicker as the cigar goes on. The retrohale is pretty strong. Overall a very good start, not too complex cigar with a great flavor profile.

Middle third:

The body of the cigar continues to build up during the middle section of the cigar, towards the medium body mark. The flavors also get more robust and it is a very enjoyable evolution. While the Torreon is not the most complex cigar but there is still a nice shift of flavors. The notes of oolong tea have faded away, as did the spices and the sweetness. There are now mostly wood, leather, roasted nuts earth, leather, floral notes and some delightful cocoa flavors. Few hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. There are also glimpses of citrus, similar to some canned fruits. The overall feeling in the palate is very creamy and still very enjoyable. The finish is great and long, while the powerful retrohale gives some vegetal notes and roasted coffee through the nose. The draw remind excellent, while the burn starts being wavy a bit but it self corrects after few puffs.

Final third:

The final part of the Torreon is where it really shines. The sweet notes are back (honey), along with some gentle spices, which allows the cigar to become more round and balanced. The increased sweetness balances the dominant flavors of tobacco, roasted nuts, cocoa, leather and earth. There are also hints of raw almonds and spices, but they remain in the background and play very well with the honey notes. The strength of the cigar has receded a little bit and settles well in the medium range, the whole profile is much smoother and creamier. The retrohale is also smoother and the cigar remains cool overall. It is hard to let go of it as we burn our fingers.

After 5 or 6 years where the cigars could aged nicely in their jar, the San Cristobal de La Habana are ready to unleash their full potential: a light to medium creamy smoke that will please both newcomers to Cuban cigars and experienced smokers.

Smoking time:   40 minutes – 60 minutes