Cigar Weekly

Sancho Panza has a Cuban lineage dating back to 1852. The cigar was named after the Sancho Panza character from the great Spanish novel, Don Quixote.

Crafted by Estelo Padron, the Honduran cigar master, the wrapper is Connecticut Shade.  The binder is Connecticut Broadleaf and. the filler is a blend of the Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican Cubano Piloto.

General Cigar markets the Sancho Panza, which is manufactured by Honduras American Tabaco, S.A. in Cofradia, Honduras.

Cigar Weekly reviews are blind taste tests conducted by our readers. Reviewers are sent three samples with all identifying marks removed. Reviewers are chosen randomly from the list of everyone that has signed the Cigar Weekly Guest Book. Their comments are below.

Pre-Smoke Comments

Chadd Milks (MilkÞman): This was a nice looking squared pressed robusto. Had a silky smooth wrapper with a soft sheen. I am usually not a fan of square cigars. Don't mind a slight box press but this was a rectangle with definite creased sides. Nice hefty weight to this robusto and very firm throughout.

Edmund f Schnepp (Roofer): Cigar is rigidly square pressed, rectangulare shape, with a colorado or rosado wrapper, That is tight & smooth like it was painted on. Beautifully done, meticulously handcrafted, silky brown wrapper. (Note) The first cigar, I could not smoke, It became soft & mushey 1/3 of the way, Then the wrapper split & the thing self destructed?..Go figure!

Jason Wilbarger (F15-Loader): This was a beautifully constructed cigar. It had a firm box press with a nearly seamless roll. The wrapper was vienless and smooth with a slight sheen. Prelight aroma was pleasant and sweet. The prelight draw was just as nice. Hopefully the construction is indicative of how it will smoke. Wow!! The draw was perfect and produced loads of thick smoke.

Jim Lordan (Loyoyo): This was a good looking boxpressed 5.25x50 cigar with a slightly sloppy cap. The dark brown natural wrapper was smooth except for wrinkled sides, due to the heavy boxpress. There were a few small tears in the wrapper, possibly due to removal of the band or shipping. The cigar had a very firm, even feel, with a surprisingly good prelight draw.

Kevin S. Foley (goblue797): This robusto sized cigars construction was solid, square pressed and smooth with little to no veins. This appeared to be a Cameroon cigar and a few cracks in the wrapper were the only flaws that prevented this from attaining a perfect appearance and construction score. From first light to the end of each sample, the burn was even and the ash was firm and a light grey. The pre-smoke and initial light promised a memorable experience.

Lowell Patrick (Park Bear): I was real excited when I saw this was a box pressed cigar. It is the exacted same size as a PAM that I was going to smoke at lunch. It had a great barnyard aroma. The cap was very ugly not unlike the PAM I was getting ready to smoke.

Richard A. Scearcy (rscearcy): Beautiful extreme box-pressed cigar, with a darker natural wrapper, beautifully constructed, with a firm feel throughout and great pre-light draw. The wrapper is very lightly veined and smooth. It took over an hour to smoke this 5 1/4" beauty because of its slow and even burn, with a fairly flat coal and compact gray ash. One sample was a little tight, but the draw on the other was perfect. It's an extremely well-constructed cigar and a real beauty. It's almost a shame to set it on fire.

Smoke Comments

Chadd Milks (MilkÞman): Took a little extra flame to light. Right from the first draw I noticed a definitive unique flavor. Almost a fruity essence to it. The burn was pretty good, only a couple slight runners that had to be corrected. Nothing horrible. Plenty of fragrant smoke came out of this cigar. Draw wasn't great, but not horrible either, had to double pump occasionally to keep it going. The unusual taste noted seemed to be coming from the Cameroon wrapper? Did have medium bodied flavor coming through also.

Edmund f Schnepp (Roofer): Started with a coffee flavor, Easy draw, But had an uneven burn & slight tunnel efect for the first 1/3 of the cigar.I touched it up with the torch. Then,-BAM- This cigar strikes like a mongoose ,Becomes incredibly tasty, with a rich chocolatey character of it's own, consistent from there out. This was the second cigar & the only one I could smoke.

Jason Wilbarger (F15-Loader): The flavor of spice fills my mouth for about the first 1" and then turns to almost a cocoa flavor for about the next 2". At one point this cigar was very reminiscent of an old blend SLR, hardly a bad thing. This is a great full-bodied full flavored cigar. The flavors are intense and lively. However, the aroma leaves something to be desired. This was the worst part of the cigar. The aroma just didn't fit the awesome strength and flavor of the cigar. In fact, it smelled more like a 50-cent drugstore cigar.

Jim Lordan (Loyoyo): The cigar burned fairly even, with a typical gray ash and very good draw, providing an ample amount of smoke. The wrapper on one of the samples split at pre-existing cracks and unraveled a bit. It began with a mild to medium body and a mild earthy taste with a slight sweetness. Other than getting a little bitter in the last quarter, it never developed any more body, strength or flavor.

Kevin S. Foley (goblue797): The initial taste and flavor of the samples were a little bland. After about one half to one inch, each sample began to become more complex and show signs of a medium bodied cigar with hints of sweetness, leather and some spice and the finish was long and savory. I smoked each sample with non-cigar smoking friends and each person indicated that the aroma of this cigar was pleasing. In fact, one indicated that this was the best smelling cigar that she had ever smelled.

Lowell Patrick (Park Bear): The cigars had a tight draw that gave way about half way down. The first half inch was very enjoyable with a good toasty tobacco flavor. After that the cigar lost its punch, not much flavor and what I did taste was a little bitterness. After about halfway the draw improved along with the flavor but never matched the first half inch.

Richard A. Scearcy (rscearcy): The first sample was in the mild to medium range, with ample body and flavor. But, the second never pretended to be mild. This medium strength cigar had perfect balance, with all the richness and body a corona can produce. There was a very slight bitterness and some sharpness reminiscent of well-aged H2000 wrappers. It's not at all unpleasant and added to the flavor of rich Cuban coffee without the sugar. This cigar should not be rushed, but rather savored to enhance its flavor and body.

Summary Comments

Chadd Milks (MilkÞman): I don't think I could make this an everyday smoke. The flavor just didn't sit right with me. Flavor could get old very fast. Maybe consider it for a change of pace. Didn't have the straight forward tobacco taste or aroma I like in cigars. These cigars are very well made and extremely consistent, form the samples I got to try. I do have to admit that I have just come off a cold/ear infection, so my taste buds just came back to me a few days ago. I hope I wasn't affected that much from my passing sickness. I will try this cigar again when 100% healthy.

Edmund f Schnepp (Roofer): A fine cigar, Even with a slight burn problem, I was totally impressed with the elegant appearance, & superior construction of this stick. (If I had to guess, I would say Perdomo product) Then the remarkable taste that seemed to build in strength & complexity that blows open the envelope of flavor. It was a hearty & satisfying smoke for me. This was my first review, Hope this helps. Ed

Jason Wilbarger (F15-Loader): Overall, this cigar was a wonderful smoking experience. I would most certainly put this cigar in my rotation. The wonderful flavors and adequate strength make this a full-bodied cigar lovers delight.

Jim Lordan (Loyoyo): Other than the good draw, there was nothing in particular to love or hate about this cigar. It's a decent mild/medium cigar that could be very good with a little more flavor and complexity. I'd smoke it again, but wouldn't pay more than a couple of bucks for one.

Kevin S. Foley (goblue797): I would highly recommend this stick to anyone. Both samples drew perfectly and provided large amounts of flavorful smoke. I did not want to put either of these babies out, but alas, all goods things must come to an end. I plan on purchasing a box once my suspicions are confirmed.

Lowell Patrick (Park Bear): I was disappointed in this cigar, my expectations were high, because I thought this was PAN. But I looked back in my journal and all of the PANs that I have tried in the past were not to my liking as was this cigar.

Richard A. Scearcy (rscearcy): This is the kind of cigar to be enjoyed with a glass of vintage port or fine Mexican brandy or even a cup of cafe con leche. I would not hesitate to offer this sample to the most demanding cigar smoker. I do have a hunch that it would disappoint if it were rushed and should be reserved for leisurely occasions. I consider it to be in the Must Have category and I can hardly wait to find out what it is. Some of my favorites may be getting some bench time after this.

Scores

 Review Results
Final Score: 35.1 out of 50

4 Star -- Excellent

 

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