JC Newman

May 15, 2022

Privada Watch Series Root Beer (6 x 54)





Video review HERE.


(Description taken from Halfwheel.com website)

The third installment of the Privada Watch Series is called Root Beer. The Watch Series pays tribute to notable watch designs. This time, the cigar’s inspiration comes from the bi-colored bezel introduced by Rolex that has become known for its resemblance to the color of root beer.

The cigar is a 6 x 54 Honduran puro that is made at Raíces Cubanas and uses tobaccos grown by Hugo Endemaño. It is priced at $11 per cigar, with production numbers not being disclosed.


The cigar has an average or less feel in the hand.




The test draw after cutting the cap was very good, almost effortless. The initial flavors at light up were a tangy orange citrus, citrus peel, brown sugar, dry nutmeg, and a very earthy leather. There was black pepper rated at 7. Not a bad start but I don't want the nutmeg or earthy leather to increase. There's quite a bit there now.



At the first third (23 minutes) the cigar has not changed much. There is still a lot of the dry nutmeg and earthy leather. The sweet notes are still coming through but they are in the minority when compared to the nutmeg and leather. At this point the cigar is "ok" with me but if the nutmeg and leather increase the score will drop. I rated the first third 91.




Moving through the second third (46 minutes) my fears were realized. The dry nutmeg and earthy leather are rapidly increasing. There's a hint of sweetness and massive amounts of nutmeg and leather. The black pepper has increase to at least 7 1/2. The finish is leather with good lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The dry nutmeg and earthy leather are about to kill the cigar. I rated the second third 86.




The cigar lasted 1 hour 10 minutes. A rather short burn time for a 6 x 54 cigar. I don't thing much changed in the final third. It's still quite loaded with dry nutmeg and earthy leather. There is only a hint of citrus at this point. The black pepper is one of the only good things I can say about the cigar. It's about 8 at this point. The finish is leather with good lingering black pepper. The cigar is right at full bodied, so I'll call it full bodied. The story of this cigar is dryness and earthiness. It started out "not that bad" but the second and final thirds were loaded with dry nutmeg and earthy leather. It's not something I would seek out in the future. I rated the final third 86 since it's about the same as it was in the second third. 




Overall Score: 87.67

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