Description

The Rafael Gonzalez Panetelas Extra is a great and cheap cigar that is perfect for beginners or newcomers to Cuban cigars.

• Medium smoke with smooth flavors, a lot of chocolate, some coffee, nice floral notes and much more.

• Very good potential for ageing. Gets even more delicious after 5 years.

This cigar provides a great Cuban experience at a lesser cost.

Dimensions:

Length: 127 mm

Diameter: 14.29 mm

Ring gauge: 36

Shape: Short Panetelas / Vegueritos Mano

Appearance:

The cigar has a rustic look but great nevertheless; the wrapper has a nice sheen of oil on the wrapper, a small amount of fine veins and a dark brown chocolaty color. It is smooth to the touch; the squeeze test reveals a firm cigar with just the right amount of give.

Smoking Notes:

Before lighting up

The wrapper smells of tobacco and hay.

Burn/ Draw

Once cut, the cold draw gives some clear tobacco aromas, with some hints of hay. The draw is amazing. The head of the cigar cuts clean off, and the foot gets lighten very easily. Once lit, the first draws give mostly Cuban tobacco, with hints of grassiness; and also some creamy notes such as some sweet popcorn. The burn line is even, and the cigar builds up a beautiful white ash.

Initial third:

The first third of the cigar is very smooth in terms of flavors, greets you with some wood, tasty tobacco, and some amazing notes of chocolate. There are also some coffee, some floral notes, some hay, some nuts and some bread. There is also a bit of bitterness, not too bitter though, with some earthy flavors. Overall, the cigar is easy to smoke, the draw is great and the body is between mild to medium.

Middle third:

In the middle third, the dominant flavors are similar, only more intense, more of delicious tobacco, more cocoa or bitter chocolate. There are still some nutty characteristics, some bread, some spices and beautiful floral notes. There are also some hints of milky coffee and toasted fruits. The cigar is still burning very evenly, and the body is medium.

Final third:

In the final third, the cigar remains excellent throughout the entire length and can be smoked until the nub. The flavor profile remains in the same area, with still lots of cocoa and lots of milk coffee. The flavors soften; but we can still get some almond and tobacco. It is never too harsh; it is still burning very well, producing a generous amount of smoke.

In summary, this is a splendid cigar that gives excellent flavors. It also ages very well.

Smoking time: 30 – 50 Minutes