I’ve not knowingly smoked many cigar from the PDR portfolio, but after this weeks sampling, I may have to re-think that position. I recently received some samples from them and decided this would be a good time to smoke them and see what the forks at PDR (which used to be Pinar del Rio Cigars) have been up to.
The PDR AFR-75 Edmundo is a limited edition with a San Andreas maduro wrapper, which tells me right away there’s a darned good chance I’ll be a fan. Outwardly, the size, shape and even the band, bring to mind the Cuban Cohiba Behike. This one was a 6” x 58 with a pigtail cap with a nice, dark brown wrapper. Just because I’m a cynical bastard, I automatically take off points for any similarity to the Cuban Cohiba on general principle. However, this cigar was a redeems itself from what I consider a marketing mis-step in flavor and performance. It’s rich, heavy and dark, and it drew and burned perfectly. I should have paid more attention to PDR! This was a yummy smoke!
I had the good fortune to smoke a La Hermandad from the 2012 IPCPR show last year that was fantastic. So I was quite excited when I received the Primer Mundo La Hermandad Costa Fuerte in the samples from PDR. I saw Sean Williams, Director of Sales for PDR, and Owner of El Primer Mundo at the show this year, he was in the PDR booth, which was busy every time I went by. I barely got a “hello” in, let alone an interview. Busy is good! This cigar was, once again, right up my alley. It had deep, dark flavors and a terrific burn and draw. This was a heavy duty smoke that made it a little difficult to get out of my chair when it was done. It looked like it had a quadruple cap, which was about a half an inch up the head of the cigar. The Brazilian maduro wrapper is both beautiful and flavorful. Another winner!
When I lit the A. Flores Gran Reserva robusto up after removing it’s cedar sleeve, my first thought was: “this is a Dominican cigar?” Thatsa spicy meata ball! Loads of tongue-tingling spice, it was ALMOST too much to bear! I noticed the same finishing touches that the La Hermandad had, the long, quadruple cap, which holds the Dominican Corojo wrapper in place. This cigar probably took nearly half of the length to settle down into a heavy, full bodied smoke. I was really enjoying it after the heavy spice subsided, not that I didn’t enjoy the spice, it was just a bit of a surprise! It even held up to me being knocked flat on my back by the dog while we were playing in the yard. The burn was straight as an arrow and it required little more attention than drawing on it. I have the half corona left from the samples and will be very interested to see if it serves up a similar experience. This is a small batch release, along with the AFR-75, so if you see them snag one or two and give them a try.
It’s fun to do these theme weeks from time to time. I smoke so many different cigars it’s very unusual for me to smoke the same cigar twice in a couple month period. I find it interesting to compare and contrast cigars from the same factory from time to time. This week has been a revelation. While I’ve sampled Sean’s Primer Mundo line and enjoyed them, the PDR line has escaped my notice, with the exception of meeting Abe Flores on a flight to the DR once. Abe is doing wonderful things in his factory, including Eddie Ortega’s Mini’s which are awesome. I appreciate the opportunity to try their newest offerings and look forward to smoking more!
Until the next time,
CigarCraig
