Pleiadis Paris Envoy Review

[y3n0]

This is a mini-review so please take it easy on me since I'm a newb and not as articulate when describing flavors and overall experience.

I got this stick as a recommendation from a salesperson at my local JRs when I asked him a selection of various cigars a newbie can try out.

It's a 6x54 stick with a wrapper that's medium brown and looks like a Connecticut. The filler is apparently a DR/Nic and the binder's Nicaraguan.

I finally smoked it after a couple of months sitting in my humi and honestly, it was buried and kind of forgot about it!

I was pleasantly surprised with the somewhat more than subtle hints of spiciness a third of the way through 'til the nub . It's still a mild to medium smoke, but the spice reminded me of an RyJ Ex #4 but not as pronounced and as floral (again..this is where my lack of experience shows as they're probably not similar at all but a reminder is a reminder!)--so basically, it's not exactly a 'twang.

The draw was smooth and the burn was slightly uneven and I needed to do a quick touch-up; but it was probably because I was by a window and was blowing a fan for exhaust purposes!

Anyway, I was very pleased with it and will probably get more since I believe I read somewhere that Pleiades went out of business, or something to that effect. The price was not bad at all considering it was purchased in NYC--$5.50.

Now since the supply is probably going to be limited soon---do others have recommendations of cigars with spice on budget medium NC's?

Thanks for your time in reading this!

[omowasu]

Im surprised no one has responded to this one, so allow me to say - thanks for the review.

Pleiades was a huge brand (and largely casualty) of the cigar boom in the '90s. Pleiades were rolled to be a mild and spicy cigar, they were actually rolled in the Dominican Republic with Olor filler, Dominican binders, and Connecticut wrappers. They were then boated over to France and aged there for 6 months to a year. The cigars were packed in Netherlands made boxes with a built-in Credo humidifier. Talk about a cigar with global ambitions!

Unfortunately, after the cigar boom, I think most of the dedicated smokers (not poseurs) lumped the Pleiades into the GNC (G.N.C = Generic Non Cuban, my acronym) category which may have been somewhat undeserved. Pleiades had a silky smoothness that many other brands did not posess. The wrappers were delicate to the touch and had an odor of just-warmed toast.

Pleiades did indeed start to go under, mostly because the 250.00+/box was no longer viable for a mild cigar after the boom. BUT... somehow the name has been resucitated, and it looks like they are back in production. See page 137 of the most recent Cigar magazine for a two-page ad.

Hope this helps!

[lenguamor]

Thanks for the review and the info, guys.

I smoked Pleiades occasionally when I lived in Miami, but never found them elsewhere since, and didn't think to look for them.

I wonder how they'd taste to me now, years later...

/me googles Pleiades...

[y3n0]

Thanks for the briefing, omowasu.

For mild smokes, I seem to be enjoying them because of the hints of spice and have upgraded them to my "go to" status. Let's see how long that will last!

Lenguamor, they are available at JR's and currently have a $20 off special on the boxes. The Envoy is now $99 which I think is a fair price.

http://www.jrcigar.com/index.cfm?pag...EIADES%20PARIS

[lenguamor]

Originally Posted by y3n0

Thanks for the briefing, omowasu.

For mild smokes, I seem to be enjoying them because of the hints of spice and have upgraded them to my "go to" status. Let's see how long that will last!

Lenguamor, they are available at JR's and currently have a $20 off special on the boxes. The Envoy is now $99 which I think is a fair price.

http://www.jrcigar.com/index.cfm?pag...EIADES%20PARIS

Thanks!

[omowasu]

Originally Posted by y3n0

Thanks for the briefing, omowasu.

For mild smokes, I seem to be enjoying them because of the hints of spice and have upgraded them to my "go to" status. Let's see how long that will last!

Lenguamor, they are available at JR's and currently have a $20 off special on the boxes. The Envoy is now $99 which I think is a fair price.

http://www.jrcigar.com/index.cfm?pag...EIADES%20PARIS

Hey, anytime! If you smoked the "Paris Envoy", you had one of the newer Pleiades. The older ones all had celestial names like Neptune, Pluton, Venus, etc.

The closest cigar I can think of to the older Pleiades would be a milder Montecristo white. If you liked the Paris, try a Monte white. Altadis is giving away a free sample... hint hint...