Xiphos CR Habano Lonsdale

[Don Fernando]

Late october I smoked and reviewed my first Xiphos cigar and today I’m reviewing my second Xiphos. Same brand, same factory but a different size and blend. This 6 1/2×42 Xiphos Habano Lonsdale is made in Costa Rica with an Ecuadorian hybris Habano wrapper, a Peruvian binder and filler from Peru and the Dominican Republic. The factory is the Tobaccos de Costa Rica in Puriscal where a few other well praised brands are made too.

Now Xiphos doesn’t only do business in Costa Rica, the brand also has two lines made at Order of the New Ages factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. That is the factory of Noel Rojas who owns the Guayacan brand too and the factory of Jas Sum Kral, a brand that I recommend highly and will be in my top 25 without a doubt. Both Nicaraguan made Xiphos lines will be reviewed in 2018.

Once I release the cigar from the cellophane prison I find a smooth and silky, chocolate brown wrapper with a nice glow and thin veins. The rings are gorgeous, a deep blue with silver letters and details and Greek styled letters. The construction feels good and the cigar is well shaped with a nice round head and a good triple cap. The cigar has a strong and dark aroma, barnyard, horse, hay, straw and manure.

I cut the cigar since it’s too thin to punch. The cold draw is great and I taste raisin. After lighting I taste espresso, full flavored and strong. After half an inch I taste oak with a little lemon and cedar. Halfway the flavors tone down a little in strength. I taste some wood, a mild pepper and herbs. The final third lacks pepper but I do taste a hint of vanilla with the wood. At the end I taste nuts too.

The draw is fenomemal, the smoke is medium plus in thickness and volume. The light gray ash is flaky. The burn is pretty straight. The cigar is medium bodied and flavored, with a nice evolution. The smoke time is two hours and ten minutes.

Would I buy this cigar again? Much to my surprise I would go for the short panatella instead of the lonsdale, but I would not mind smoking this one again either.

Score: 90

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