Siglo Limited Reserve IV

In Spanish, Siglo means century.  Combine that with the word limited, and you have yourself a semi-fancy sounding name for a cigar.  This is certainly not the first time the word Siglo has been used for a cigar though, as many other brands in the past have used the same word in their names, including Cohibas.  The Siglo Limited Reserve IV is rather new and was released in 2009 by the Altadis company.  Altadis is a rather large manufacturer of cigars, thanks to their acquisitions within the last ten years of varying interest in such cigar companies as Habanos SA, Consolidated Cigar Corporation, and 800-JR Cigar, Inc.  This expansion into the marketplace has allowed Altadis to produce a wide variety of fine cigars.

The Siglo Limited Reserve line from Altadis comes in seven different sizes: I, II, III, IV, VI, VII, and X.  For the purpose of this review, we will look at the Siglo Limited Reserve IV, which is a Robusto cigar measuring 5 x 54.  The Siglo Limited Reserve IV is filled with a blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco, blended by industry veteran Frank Llaneza.  It has an Ecuadorian Cubano wrapper with a broadleaf Nicaraguan binder noted for its excellent flavor.  If you did not know any better, taking a quick glance at the Siglo Limited Reserve IV from a distance you would think you were looking at a Cuban Cohiba.  Why?  Quite simply, the bands look like mirror images from afar.  The Siglo Limited Reserve IV employs the same colors on its band of gold, yellow, white and black.  Its bold gold lettering of “Siglo” even looks similar, although the Siglo’s overall band is thicker.  It’s unknown why Altadis chose to design such a similar band, but if you are going to copy someone, a Cohiba is not a bad choice.  That being said, the band does add to the cigar’s appearance.  The wrapper has a light tone to it with a few veins running throughout.  Unlit, the cigar has an earthy smell and a smooth taste.

The burn of the Siglo Limited Reserve IV starts off better than it ends, with some unevenness that characterizes it throughout its latter parts.  The cigar gives off some nice, smooth flavors that hint of coffee or nuts the eventually move more towards the peppery side of the flavor spectrum.  For mixing purposes, if you happen to buy the Siglo Limited Reserve IV you might want to give it a try with a lager.

The Siglo Limited Reserve IV is an overall decent cigar.  Nothing particularly stands out about it.  The burn can be a bit uneven, and its flavor is serviceable but not outstanding.  The Siglo Limited Reserve IV retails for around $6 per single.  Give it a shot as an occasional smoke.  The Siglo Limited Reserve IV receives a decent rating of three stars.

Now let’s move onto a couple of offerings from Ashton:  the Puro Sol Churchill and the San Cristobal Guajiro.