Christian Eiroa is a name I’m sure some of you have heard of before. He has been in the cigar business since June of 1995 where he began working for his father. It was also the same year his family gained ownership of the Camacho brand and later sold it to Davidoff in 2008. Over the last twenty years, Christian Eiroa has worked in the industry non-stop and created many well-known cigars. His most recent focus being CLE Cigars, a brand he started in 2012. In celebration of his time in the cigar industry, he most recently released the cigar I will be reviewing today: Eiroa The First 20 Years.
What am I smoking?
- Cigar Review: Eiroa The First 20 Years
- Country of Origin: Honduras
- Factory: El Aladino
- Distributor: CLE
- Wrapper: Honduras
- Binder: Honduras
- Filler: Honduras
- Size: 6 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 46 (Box Pressed)
- Vitola: Corona Extra
- Strength: Medium Full
Packaging & Design
Eiroa The First 20 Years arrives to us in a lightly colored wooden box of 20 cigars. The Eiroa trademark is centered in black on top of the box, with a large decorative seal on the left hand side. I love the look of the seal, it is red and gold printed on a holographic type of paper, making it stand out amongst the rest.
Inside of the box, the cigars are presented in a beautiful fashion. The upper inside lid showcases a photo of a tobacco field, which I can only assume is the same crop of tobacco the cigars are made with. The bands are made using the same design as the holographic seal, shimmering when the light hits them. A thin yellow tissue paper sleeve surrounds the body of the cigars, featuring Eiroa The First 20 Years on it in a transparent font.
In fact, the first time I cracked open a box of these, I almost didn’t want to take the cigars out because they looked so good. But I had to burn one down to see if it tasted as good as it looked. Cigars are made to be smoked, I suppose.
First Impressions
After sliding off the tissue paper veil, I was extremely impressed with the look of the wrapper leaf. It was perfectly uniform in color and had a slight tooth to it. Natural sugars on this espresso colored leaf sparkled in the light, which reminded me of the wrapper on the Tatuaje 2015 TAA. The feel of this box pressed cigar was pleasingly firm with a little bit of sponginess when squeezed and had zero soft spots. This is a beautiful cigar.
The smell coming from the foot is sweet and earthy. I clipped the head with a Perfect Cutter, the pre-light draw gives off those same flavors and leaves a peppery sensation on my lips. Draw resistance feels normal.
The Smoke
I torched the cigar with a Vertigo Cyclone. On the first draw, I did not to expect this Honduran puro to taste the way it did. It was much richer and smoother than I anticipated. Right away I was greeted with peppery earth and brown sugar. The burn after around an inch or so was very sharp, needing no attention.
Into the second third, the body gets a bit fuller and I’m still getting the same flavors from the start. There are little complexities like coffee, nuts and espresso that come and go with each pull. The finish hangs out for a while and leaves a sweet and earthy flavor behind.
In the last two inches, flavor and strength get one last kick and then the heat starts coming. The smoke offers sharp and peppery sensations followed by a hot tamale spicy sweetness, especially through the nose. The wrapper on The First 20 Years by Eiroa was excellent, never once needing a correction.
Final Thoughts
I was pleased with this cigar, it was one of the more memorable ones I’ve had recently. Construction was awesome, remaining consistent through and through. The Eiroa had a flavor profile of its own; I couldn’t really compare it to anything else out there at the moment.
The other thing I’d like to mention is that I’m glad Eiroa decided to make a smaller vitola for this line. I personally think that there are not enough corona and lonsdale sizes on the market, mostly because those are the sizes I prefer. I feel that a smaller ring gauge brings out more flavors from the wrapper.
Score Breakdown
-Appearance: 19
-Flavor: 18
-Balance: 18
-Burn: 18
-Quality: 18
Rating: 91
