My Weekend Cigar: Tabacos Baez Serie H Famosos

John Gonzalez of El Rey De Los Habanos stopped by the Famous Smoke Shop retail store this weekend for an in-store event, and one of the featured cigars was their new Tabacos Baez Serie H cigars. Using a Nicaraguan Cuban seed filler & binder blend as found in the original Connecticut wrapper selection, this blend features a lush Habano wrapper leaf offering a similarly medium-bodied smoke without the spicy-peppery finish found in many of Don Pepin's signature cigars.

For this review I was fortunate to have smoked two of the Tabacos Baez Serie H Famosos, which are rolled a 5" x 50 Robusto shape, and I'm glad I did. The first, which I smoked Friday night after having already smoked three cigars prior, I found somewhat lacking and a lot spicier than advertised. However, all of its other attributes were on par, from the excellent rolling and draw, to the firm ash and burn. What really got my attention was the second Famosos I smoked the next day after giving my palate a well-needed rest (see photo).

The cap clipped off in a perfect circle and the pre-light had that appealing earthy-nutty "Padron-like" cold draw. When lit, the nutty flavor came right through with lots of creamy smoke.

I also have to laud this cigar for its consistency. Throughout the entire smoke the cigar remained in the medium-body range with a rich, nutty base. The Habano wrapper gives this cigar a more full-flavored character, and flavors of nuts, sweet spice, wood and earthiness were all perfectly balanced with a note of coffee bean in the mix. There was no pepperiness to be found anywhere in this sample.

The only negative was the second cigar had some burn issues due to some dark tobacco leaf that was rolled to one side. To its credit though, the cigar never turned bitter even after several touch-ups, and I smoked it down to the last inch.

Suffice it to say, for those who are still getting into premium cigars and curious about trying a Don Pepin cigar, I recommend they start with this particular Tabacos Baez blend. The Habano wrappers offer plenty of flavor while the smoke never becomes too strong or spicy.

Scores:
Appearance - 9
Construction - 9
Draw - 9
Burn - 7
Aroma - 8
Flavor - 8
Balance - 9
Total Score: 8.4

~ Gary Korb