So the other night I was craving a decent quality cigar. It was cold outside (typical British weather) so I wanted something small but with a good flavour.
Straight to the humidor I went, searching through for something to suit my needs and I came across some San Martin Peruvian cigars I was given as a gift. It was a sample pack of 5 different sizes so I thought ‘now is a good time to give them a go’.
Due to the weather I grabbed the San Martin Piccolo and proceeded to the garden to spark up.
You could tell I was looking forward to it – I even used my Davidoff matches (very sad)
Overall the taste got better as it went on but initially the taste was quite bitter and hard. Normally I would say it needed more time in the humidor but it had been there for over a year.
The first third of the cigar was quite tangy as mentioned, but I found myself smoking through it with hopes that it would even out and get better…and it did
After halfway, I noticed the taste getting slightly better and I was staring to get more of a woody taste.
If only I had planned ahead I would have chosen arum to go with it but I pressed on.
As the climate dropped, so did my patience with the cigar. It could also have been the lack of socialising that made me want to give up, however I smoked on.
All in all, it was a decent cigar, perfectly crafted, smoked evenly, and had a good draw.
However it didn’t measure up to my favourite Partagas, MonteCristo or Hoyo de Monterrey. This could be because it isn’t a Cuban and my expectations were high. Peru isn’t famous for its cigars so out of 10, I’d say a 5.5.
I still have other San Martin sizes to be smoked so will update you when I do.
The San Martin range is made by tabacalera Del Oriente international