LVH The Early Years

[CigarDoc]

I'll start off this by saying I was a little sceptical about this smoke. I'm not a big fan of most of Drew Estates smokes, a Kuba once in a blue moon just for fun is about all I can tolerate. I smoked the Belicoso D last night.

I gotta say that this one surprised me. It was pretty cold here last night, so I grabbed a sweater, a cup of coffee, and my Xicar, and headed outside. The construction of the cigar was just right. Not too loose, not too tight. Pleasent smell from the foot, a slight sweet smell, no ammonia smell. The stick lit with minimal effort, the first draw was earthy, really creamy , and a little cedar. The smoke was not very thick or heavy at first, but after about 1 inch into it, the smoke began to get thicker. The stick burned evenly all the way down, and the ash was a light grey color, and stuck for about 2 inches before letting go. The finish was long on the palate, and a little like almonds and dark chocolate. All in all, a mild/medium smoke.I'd rate it around 89. For the price of the stick (around $3) you won't be disappointed, and even if you don't like it, hell, it was only $3.

Doc Allard

[bi11fish]

First let me thank you for your service.
I think you nailed the LVH Early Years. They are among my top 5 NC. I prefer the silencio. For me it is a fun smoke.

[okbrewer]

I'm with ya on these! I was pleasantly surprised the first time I smoked one of these. Here is a review I did last year:

Last night I tried a La Vieja Habana Early Years Zero Hora. Let me begin by saying I have never had a Drew Estate product, and was not really expecting too much, even though I have heard good things about this cigar. I picked up a 5-pack on auction at a decent price so I thought I’d give it a try. When they arrived in the mail, I immediately tucked them into my coolerdor to rest a bit. OK, well I could only wait 2 days until I tried this! So last night I decided to venture out to my patio, bundled up against the cold, and try this smoke. The dark, rustic looking wrapper is very inviting and the cigar is somewhat firmly constructed. At 5x60, this stick has a larger ring gauge than I usually smoke. In fact, it took me a few minutes to get used to the size. The aroma is very earthy, almost barnyard-like, the terroir shines through. A good sign, in my book! I clipped the tip with my Xikar and lit with my torch. The first few puffs yielded no predominant flavors, but the minute this thing was lit, billows of blue-white smoke poured off it! About a half inch into the smoke, notes of pepper began to appear, then hints of leather. All the while, the earthy/leathery aromas encircled my head in the form of that blue-white smoke! The burn started off a bit ragged and uneven, but I never had to correct it. At about the midpoint of the cigar it corrected itself and continued the rest of the way nice and even. In fact, the burn of this thing was somewhat impressive! A bright orange/red glow divided the firm ash from cigar. The earthy, peppery, and leathery flavors and aromas continued for the entire length of the smoke, mellowing and melding at the halfway point and distinctly reemerging inside the last 2 inches. The flavor profile kept me thinking that I had tasted something like this before! Then it hit me. When I played baseball as a kid, I used to like to chew on the leather laces of my ball glove. Ahh, come on, you’ve done it too! Well, then you know how that chewed, slimy leather has a unique taste, right? That’s what this cigar reminded me of! With a little pepper thrown in. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. I liked this rather full-bodied cigar, even though the ring gauge is a bit bigger than I normally choose. I liked the plumes of smoke given off by this thing, and the flavors and aromas brought back fond memories. Oh, and another thing! I usually pair my smokes with beer, and this one would have worked nicely with a big Belgian brown or sour Oud Bruin or Geueze. But tonight I took a different direction. I had a Coke with Lime! The hint of sourness from the lime really tasted good with this smoke!

Bob R in OKC

[awsmith4]

Nice review Doc, I'll have to try one now

[Scud]

Great review, Doc, and it was spot-on! I enjoy the LVH early years. Not a bad little smoke.

[billybarue]

Love the silencios. I have some Zero Horas around somewhere, but I remember I thinking they tasted kind of flat compared to the silencios. Surprised me because the aroma off the foot was good, but there was more "pop" to the flavor in the little silencio. Nice winter size smoke too.

FWIW