Here is another very good cigar blended by Maurice Koks of Intercigar S.A. in the Dominican Republic. Let’s first discuss what the medio tiempo leaf is, where it grows on the plant and what country it is grown in. The tobacco plants that can produce these leaves need to be older plants cultivated in rich soil and certain climate only found in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, the closest major island to Cuba in the Caribbean. As most of us know, the very top leaves on the tobacco plant are the ligero, however, the next two layers of leaves is where the medio tiempo leaf is found and again, only on very mature plants. Picking them is labor intensive and they are considered rare. They add a layer of richness, sweetness, earthiness and subtle spices to the flavor and aroma to the cigars.
Okay, now that you know all that here is the data on the Vallejuelo Medio Tiempo Cigars. The wrapper is a Mexican San Andres, the binder is the Dominican and the filler tobacco is a combination of Cuban Seed Piloto Cubano (the plants that the medio tiempo is picked from), Criollo ’98 and Corojo tobacco. For this review I smoked the 5x54 Robusto and the Box Pressed Robusto.
Draw and Construction
Both cigars have an excellent draw, a bit more resistance than the original Vallejuelo but still very smooth. The cigar has a very well-constructed Cuban triple cap as shown in one of the attached photos. It is quite thick and lends itself to using a strong punch without causing any damage to the wrapper. This is a more refined cigar than the earlier Vallejuelo. They burn evenly and slowly. I have a preference for box pressed cigars but both of them smoked the same, generating lots of rich smoke. My only complaint would be that it got a little hot on the draw as you smoked below an inch and a half. The wrapper is dark but not as dark as a Maduro and has a little oil sheen. The ash is strong and did fall off until I smoked it close to the middle.
Flavor and Aroma
You will find flavors like caramel, mocha, cedar and nuts throughout the entire smoke and some subtle spiciness. These cigars have a very nice 10 foot aroma, meaning when you walk more than 10 feet away you can smell the sweet aroma that lures you back to your cigar after refilling your coffee cup. I always drink a double Americano when I smoke these as it compliments their flavor and aroma.
Value
These cigars are an excellent value. I would rate it slightly below the Koks y Rojas because it smokes hot towards the end. A box of 18 costs $91.95 ($5.11 each), a 5 pack is $27.95 ($5.59 each) and you can purchase a single at $6.00. I am giving these cigars 4.5 stars only because I could not smoke it down to under an inch as I could with the Koks y Rojas. The next review will be Intercigar S.A. most expensive cigar, the Antonious.
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