Sancho Panza is a cigar company that prides itself on combining traditions of tobacco with the art of blending a delicious cigar. In this review, I'll be going over the Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte. The Extra Fuerte is a delicious smoke, that gave a unique flavor profile, and great construction. This review was of the Extra Fuerte Toro.
To start, the Extra Fuerte has a simple but bold presentation. The main band features a red background with bold, golden lettering. The accent band is a soft white with the same color lettering. The box is a burgundy-brown, with the same gold lettering as the band. While the appearance doesn't pop out like some other cigars, its boldness invites you to smoke it. The wrapper is a deep brown, and is smooth to the touch. There are no wild veins or uneven seems. The wrapper is a little oily, but doesn't have the same shine as an oily maduro.
The Extra Fuerte is constructed with Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers, a Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The combination of these tobaccos make for a unique blend, but I'll get to that in a minute. The cold draw exhibits a smooth, easy draw. The cut was smooth, and didn't crack the wrapper or the cap, which is always a plus. Lighting the cigar proved easy. The burn started, remained, and ended evenly. Once the cigar was lit, the draw became a little too loose, leading to a large amount of smoke. After a few puffs into the first third, the draw tightened perfectly. The smoke remained full, and provided a great post-draw aroma. The ash on the Extra Fuerte could probably stay on for the entirety of the smoke if you really wanted it to. The ash on mine was ready to come off at around the two inch mark, just before the start of the second third. After I ashed the cigar, no flakes came from the foot, and the ash going forward was not compromised. Great construction on this cigar.
The flavor profile gave a lot of amazing flavor, but wouldn't necessarily stand out from the crowd in your humidor. The first third exhibited notes of oak, hay, and earth to start. Notes of white pepper and cedar could be smelled on the retrohale. As the smoke progressed, very mild notes of light roast coffee could be tasted, along with mild notes of toast, and heavier notes of black pepper. The retrohale developed floral notes, but as soon as it came, it was gone. Notes of hay became more prominent, giving the cigar a lighter texture. Towards the end of the first third, mild notes of semi-sweet chocolate can be tasted.
The second third held a lot of the same notes as the first third. Notes of oak and earth remained the basis for the body. Stronger notes of hay and wheat grass became prevalent. The retrohale gave notes of black pepper, oak, and cedar. Semi-sweet chocolate crept its way in again, giving a little boost of flavor to the profile. While the semi-sweet chocolate notes lingered off, a light toasty flavor filled out the bottom of the profile.
The final third gave a stronger hay flavor, with solid undertones of wheat grass and cedar. While this is a lighter flavor profile, the cigar kept a medium-full body throughout the smoke. Notes of white pepper and toast lingered throughout the final third, and notes of black pepper could be smelled in the retrohale. A mild nutty flavor came and went. The cigar ended with a strong hay and earth flavor.
The price on this stick is competitive, but fair. With one stick going for about $8.49 and a box of 20 going for around $169.80, there's not reason to keep this cigar out of your humidor. The price is perfect for the value of the cigar.
GC Rating: 89
Thanks to the Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop for sponsoring this review of the Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte. If you'd like to try the Extra Fuerte, or anything else from the Sancho Panza catalog, click the picture and use the coupon code for 10% off your order and free shipping.
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