Para Ti Prominentes by Fred Schrader

[amsgpwarrior]

Para Ti Prominentes by Fred Schrader

Check out this review with photos @http://www.aaronfoodandwino.blogspot.com

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Toro Gordo
Size : 6 x 60
Wrapper : Dominican
Filler : Dominican
Binder : Dominican
Hand-Made
Price : $8.75

I was first introduced to these awhile back when Pete Johnson announced he would be helping a “wine friend” out by distributing a new cigar through his company Havana Cellars. His wine friend happened to be the iconic Fred Schrader of Schrader Cellars. Fred is one of the most popular people in the wine world now due to his historic showing in 2007 with multiple 100 point rated cabernets (an unheard of accomplishment!). Schrader recently introduced the Para Ti line of cigars and his limited edition release Schrader Hispaniola “Sparky” figurado. I had some of prominentes on stock in my humidor and decided that it would be worth reviewing here.

Appearance : ★★★☆☆
A light brown wrapper with one large vein traversing 2/3rd of the cigar and some other medium sized veins covers this cigar. Pretty rough looking on the outside, very bumpy, and has some blotchiness to the wrapper. Contains some minor soft spots along its length, but smells of rich tobacco, cedar, nuts and earth akin to Cuban cigars.

Construction : ★★★½☆
The prominentes has the slightest bit of tightness on the dry draw and after the cut. On the burn, the cigar had a flaky ash that had trouble staying on the cigar for more than an inch. Lots of fly aways happened with our slight Texas breeze. Any burn problems were corrected usually except for some canoeing at the last 3rd that needed a touch up. It emits lots of creamy smoke with each draw pretty effortlessly.

Flavor : ★★★☆☆
Upon first light, cedar, nuts, and rich coffee bean flavors and aromas are apparent. Some underlying earthy/grassy flavors through much of the 1st third reminds me of Cuban Romeo and Julietas. On the retrohale you find the most discernible trait/flavor of the Para Ti line, butterscotch! Dried nuts and coffee flavors dominate the transition from the 1st third to the 2nd third of the stick. The Para Ti coasts into a long period of nutty and grassy notes all the way into the last third of the cigar, and that’s where the problems started. The flavors immediately died out in the last third, just becoming bitter with hardly a recognition of any kind of flavor, and not leaving me with anything to write about. The cigar was smooth and medium bodied through much of its course, but I have a hard time liking the last part of it.

Value : ★★★☆☆
A huge cigar for $8.75, makes it a decent buy. The flavors don’t live up to the price tag. Can’t really say it is worth the money. The canonazo 6”x48 is much more worthy of the money, and much more delicious (loads of butterscotch!). I would recommend it before buying any other size of this line.

Overall Rating : ★★½☆☆
The price and the lack of great flavors makes this cigar a “no go” in my book. I’m not knocking on the rest of the line, which I really liked, but this certain vitola doesn’t do the Para Ti brand any justice. If you like more spice and better flavor go with the canonazo. This may a perfect example that smaller vitolas may just be plain better. There is an apparent trend in producing large ring gauges, but I don’t think this one will be fueling that trend. The only large ring gauges that have surprised me are the Jaime Garcia toro gordo and the Liga Privada T-52 flying pig. If this rating was based on the canonazo it would get many more stars.