Selected Tobacco is a company that is built around three brands. Two of those brands, Atabey and Byron have grown in popularity since Oliver Nivaud was made Director of Sales for United Cigar the company that handles distribution. The third brand, Bandolero hasn’t gotten its share of recognition and we feel that is an injustice. Today, we fire up the Bandolero Picaros and offer up our review of the cigar made in Costa Rica by Nelson Alfonso.
Cigar Review: Bandolero
Wrapper: Not Disclosed
Binder: Not Disclosed
Filler: Not Disclosed
Length: 5.5″
Ring Gauge: 54
Size: Picaros
The Look: Packaged in a humidified Tin of 20 Cigars, the Bandolero Picaros is a beautful specimen. The undisclosed wrapper is loaded with oils that are quite visible even in the photograph below. The roll is perfection, and the cap perfectly placed. The band of Black, Mahogany and Gold denotes the brand name and ring gauge. In the hand the cigar is firm, with no soft spots and a slightly spongy foot which has a nice swirl of some darker tobacco.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Bandolero serves up notes of molasses and figs while the nose of the tobacco is an incredible mix of both sweet and sour with a mix of mocha, raisin, and lemon rind. One the cigar is lit there some spice and a faint hint of mocha. After we cut and light the cigar the initial note of the cigar is a subtle citrus.
As we dive into the first third of the Bandolero citrus note is dominant over a base of earth and hay. Some of the mocha experienced on the first light tries to fight through, teasing the smoker with the defined profile. The retrohale is incredibly smooth with a touch of the aforementioned mocha.
In the second third the retrohale takes on a peppercorn note. As we progress further, the cigar reminds me of a grilled steak with perfectly defined grill marks. The crispiness of those grill marks are what we taste here. So much so, that I wish I had a filet mignon to pair with the cigar. As the second third begins to close, some of the mocha notes make a return.
In the last third of the Bandolero the complexity of the cigar really begins to shine with the mocha taking hold especially on the finish with subtle hints of red pepper, and earth. Some of the peppercorn notes remain through the nose especially the during the last few puffs of the cigar which has an intoxicating aroma of roasted nuts.
The Finish: While I hate comparing a cigar review to another stick, I think it’s a fair question to ask how these compare to Byron and Atabey. At close to half the price, there is a difference. The Atabey and Byron are more Cubanesque where these are more along the lines of cigars we see in the United States. There are Nicaragua like qualities to it. It’s a bold cigar, with rich robust flavors. It’s worth every penny, and the price allows them to be smoke far more often than the other two lines.
Score: 94
Price: $12.79 / $271.99
Bandolero Cigars Foot
Bandolero Cigars Burn
