Toro, 6" x 50 ring gauge / approx. $10
Steve Ysidron started working on this blend in late 2009 or early 2010 with Carlos and Gilberto Oliva from Tabacalera Oliva and it celebrates Savinelli's 20th year in the cigar business (although they are an old name in tobacco, having a presence in the pipe world since 1876). Their website says they produced 100 boxes of each of four sizes, but Steve tells me that the correct number is 500, so this is limited, but should still be accessible. Each cigar is made of all Nicaraguan filler and binder along with a Sun-grown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The video stated that these were supposed to hit the shelves in May 2011, but I have to admit to not seeing them until Steve gave me this sample at the Chattanooga Tweet Up in August.
This is actually one of the few times I have seen the new Savinelli banding designs, but I think it works particularly well in this color combination of black, white, and silver. The wrapper leaf had a nice oiliness to the touch and I saw only medium-sized and smaller veins. I could detect no solid or spongy spots along the length, aside from the foot which is almost always a bit soft. Sniffing the cigar, I got a strong barnyard aroma on the wrapper; the foot had more of the same, but also some strong earth and manure notes. The cold draw was excellent and had flavors of damp earth, wood, and a subtle dried fruit sweetness.
Lighting up the Savinelli 20th was easily accomplished with a single flame torch; early puffs on the cigar revealed a earthy core flavor, along with a molasses sweetness on top of it; the retrohale was strong with roasted nuts and also had just a tinge of pepper spice. Overall, it started out very smooth and refined in flavor with a medium body. The remainder of the first third continued in a similar fashion...smooth earthy flavors with a touch of sweetness and a pinch of spice.
As the second third started up I noticed that construction was very good overall; the draw provided plenty of smoke, the ash held on for almost an inch, and the burn line was even enough to avoid needing touch up. It seemed like the flavor of the Savinelli 20th Anniversary was getting more nutty on the palate at this point; earthiness was reduced to more of a support role and the molasses note just enhanced the roasted nut aspect.
The 20th took another taste turn in the final third as a cayenne pepper spice built on the palate and the overall profile turned more woodsy. There was little sweetness left over by this time, but I did continue to enjoy the experience. The body of this cigar never progressed beyond the medium-to-full range and there was not a large amount of nicotine that I could tell. I would recommend this one mostly to more experienced smokers who can appreciate some of the subtlety it shows, but it would not be too strong for any but the newest of cigar fans. Being a limited product, though, I would advise picking them up soon before they all disappear.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
Steve Ysidron started working on this blend in late 2009 or early 2010 with Carlos and Gilberto Oliva from Tabacalera Oliva and it celebrates Savinelli's 20th year in the cigar business (although they are an old name in tobacco, having a presence in the pipe world since 1876). Their website says they produced 100 boxes of each of four sizes, but Steve tells me that the correct number is 500, so this is limited, but should still be accessible. Each cigar is made of all Nicaraguan filler and binder along with a Sun-grown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The video stated that these were supposed to hit the shelves in May 2011, but I have to admit to not seeing them until Steve gave me this sample at the Chattanooga Tweet Up in August.
This is actually one of the few times I have seen the new Savinelli banding designs, but I think it works particularly well in this color combination of black, white, and silver. The wrapper leaf had a nice oiliness to the touch and I saw only medium-sized and smaller veins. I could detect no solid or spongy spots along the length, aside from the foot which is almost always a bit soft. Sniffing the cigar, I got a strong barnyard aroma on the wrapper; the foot had more of the same, but also some strong earth and manure notes. The cold draw was excellent and had flavors of damp earth, wood, and a subtle dried fruit sweetness.
Lighting up the Savinelli 20th was easily accomplished with a single flame torch; early puffs on the cigar revealed a earthy core flavor, along with a molasses sweetness on top of it; the retrohale was strong with roasted nuts and also had just a tinge of pepper spice. Overall, it started out very smooth and refined in flavor with a medium body. The remainder of the first third continued in a similar fashion...smooth earthy flavors with a touch of sweetness and a pinch of spice.
As the second third started up I noticed that construction was very good overall; the draw provided plenty of smoke, the ash held on for almost an inch, and the burn line was even enough to avoid needing touch up. It seemed like the flavor of the Savinelli 20th Anniversary was getting more nutty on the palate at this point; earthiness was reduced to more of a support role and the molasses note just enhanced the roasted nut aspect.The 20th took another taste turn in the final third as a cayenne pepper spice built on the palate and the overall profile turned more woodsy. There was little sweetness left over by this time, but I did continue to enjoy the experience. The body of this cigar never progressed beyond the medium-to-full range and there was not a large amount of nicotine that I could tell. I would recommend this one mostly to more experienced smokers who can appreciate some of the subtlety it shows, but it would not be too strong for any but the newest of cigar fans. Being a limited product, though, I would advise picking them up soon before they all disappear.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
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