Well today I decided I was going to see for myself which of the Sancho Panzas I like best, because I could really use a go-to cigar that's affordable, and these are more than affordable. Also, there seems to be no consensus on these boards as to which is better. I've had a Double Maduro before, but it wasn't spectacular, but I hadn't tried the Extra Fuerte. So I thought I'd try one of each today to see.
The Double Maduro is apparently one of the favorites of my favorite clerk at my B&M, and is reputed to be one of the favorite bargain smokes of the folks around here. But for me, I didn't get a whole lot out of it for the first time.
Pulled out a Double Maduro Quixote this afternoon and put it to the flame. I cut the head (and all the caps came off) and noticed some stems in there, but lit it and went to work. It had some flavor, but I couldn't pin it, but it was a wee bit bitter the whole way. It was smoking up a storm, and it was kind of woody with a touch of sweetness, but didn't really impress me a second time - there was kind of a lack of flavor in general as opposed to having a bad flavor. This wasn't a bad thing necessarily: maybe I would love the Extra Fuerte, and find me a cheapie go-to. They are the same price, after all.
So the Double Maduro didn't do it for me really, and I didn't even really get to the band (it got real bitter toward that point, so I dug around the head and yanked out three big, lovely rib veins/stems, which might have been part of the problem, but whatever).
Tonight, I went after the Extra Fuerte. It was about twice as long as the Quixote, but I wanted a little longer smoke.
Clipped it, and again, all the caps came right off and the wrapper proceeded to come undone, but a little spit stopped that. No stems this time. The prelight draw was perfect in firmness and quite delicious. Toasted it, fixed up the burn and plugged away. Now <i>that's</i> what I'm talking about. It was a little sweet, with a noticeable spice on the tongue (cinnamon- and nutmeg-like, not peppery or strong) and some nutty or woody background. It was <i>full</i> of very enjoyable flavor, and I liked it a lot. Again, this thing churned out clouds of smoke. My dad approved (he's an ex-Mafia, war vet loan shark that's seasoned in good cigars) and was very surprised when I told him what it cost. This cigar was good - not "good for the price" good, it was a good cigar under any circumstances. I've been waiting for something like this (well, my wallet's been waiting), and I got it.
All in all, Extra Fuerte wins so far. I have one of each left, and I look forward to both of them, but I like the Extra Fuerte the best. These aren't terribly well constructed, but I won't complain. They deliver in flavor and price, so that's what matters more to me. These will be at the top of the "Need A Box Of" list when I have the storage space available.
Thanks for reading
