Video review HERE.
(Description taken from Cigar-coop.com website)
Southern Draw Cigars, the family-owned premium cigar brand, announced two unique line extensions for the Desert Rose cigar blend. The first is a 6 x44 Lonsdale size that will be offered nationwide, while the Toro size will be a classic 6 x 52 format that will be an exclusive to Famous Smoke Shop and is dubbed the Famous Exclusive.
Desert Rose was introduced in 2019 as a limited production offering and an offshoot of the popular Rose of Sharon line, the premium Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade line in the Southern Draw portfolio. Desert Rose utilizes a modified blend featuring a thicker, heartier Ecuadorian Claro wrapper the company calls “Cloud Grown.” It was released in one size – a 5 1/2 x 54 Belicoso Finos.
The Desert Rose Lonsdale features a “flag” cap and is packaged in 12-count boxes designed by Humidif Group U.S. Production and is slated for 4,000 boxes per year. Retailers can now pre-order the initial 1,000 boxes that are expected to begin shipping in October 2020. Pricing is set at $9.99 per cigar, $121.00 per 12-count box, and a limited stock of 12-count replacement bundles are available at $115.99. The boxes feature a retail-friendly shelf display.
In addition, Southern Draw has announced the Belicoso Finos size will continue to be available. Production is set at 80,000 cigars per year and these are now available for purchase in standard 20-count boxes and a limited amount of 20-count bundles.
Commenting on the new releases, Southern Draw Cigars’ Boss Lady and the namesake of the Rose of Sharon blend, Sharon Holt said, “We had to wait much longer than desired but the Desert Rose now headlines the 2020 Fall Release Collection in sizes that I find most enjoyable, offering a wider variety of smoking experiences of the blend. Simply put, the two new sizes of Desert Rose provide consumers, what I personally consider the two best smoking experiences for the blend and I have tried it in many sizes and formats. That said, we understand that our customers are sometimes very focused on new releases, wanting products that are specifically tailored to uniquely highlight the blend, so these are my gifts to them. These product line extensions address this desire for new releases while honoring the character of the original blend and by working closely with Famous Smoke Shop over the last 18 months, we were able to bring yet another exciting exclusivo cigar offering to their loyal consumers.”
Blend and Origin
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Claro
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano (Condega)
Filler: Honduran Corojo ’99, Dominican Piloto Cubano
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez de Nicaragua
Vitolas Available
Belicosos Finos: 5 1/2 x 54
Lonsdale: 6 x 44 REVIEWED TODAY
Toro (Famous Exclusivo): 6 x 52
The cigar's wrapper is a light, golden brown. The foot is closed.
The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up reminded me of the lemon drop candy sweetened with brown sugar. Quite sweet and tangy. There are some cedar qualities also. There was a lot of an earthy nutmeg. And the cigar had a nice black coffee base that was somewhat subdued at the outset. There was nice pepper which I found difficult to pin down to black or white rated at 7 1/2. Initially I called it black pepper. Nice sweet start. I found the lemon aspects quite nice and different.
At the first third (26 minutes) I still had the very nice lemon, cedar, and brown sugar sweet notes. The nutmeg is now a dry nutmeg and it does not take away from the sweet flavors. It's on the light side. The black coffee base is there but it also is not intrusive. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish has subdued qualities of a lemon/cedar with nice lingering pepper which I still cannot say for certain is a white or black. It's a mild pepper so it may very well be a white pepper. I rated the first third 93.
As I moved through the second third (50 minutes) the cigar was very much like it was in the first third. The only difference is the black coffee base has risen which made a nice base and pulled the cigar more in balance with the very sweet notes. The nutmeg is floundering in the middle of all the flavors. The cigar is now medium to full bodied. The sweet lemon notes are quite nice and they are even sweeter with the brown sugar attached to them. The finish has more of the lemon/cedar notes and more lingering pepper which I now call white. The cigar is quite nice and I held the score of 93.
The cigar lasted 1 hour 13 minutes. In the final third I got some sweet whipping cream notes making the cigar even sweeter. They go nicely with the lemon and brown sugar notes with light cedar. The nutmeg is hardly noticeable at this point. The black coffee base is quite nice also. The cigar is a high grade medium to full bodied. The finish is very sweet with lemon and cedar notes with lots of white pepper. For me the cigar actually improved. I rated the final third 94. This is a very good offering from Southern Draw. Very impressive.
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