Sancho Panza Double Maduro Escudero Review

At 7 inches with a 54 ring guage, this box-pressed cigar has an impressive appearance. The retail price at Top Hat Tobacco was $5.05 each. The Escudero is a mild to medium bodied cigar with a dark maduro wrapper. It also has a dark maduro binder, and this is where the “double maduro” name comes from. The manufacturer says the wrapper and binder leaves are selected from the richest, full-sun-tops of Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco plants and then aged for four years before rolling. The filler is a flavorful mix of Cuban-seed Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco. It is crafted by Honduran cigar master Estelo Padrón at Honduras American Tabaco S. A., for Villazon & Co., a subsidiary of General Cigar Company.

While they are a good cigar fresh from the box, they improve remarkably by resting for several weeks to several months. Humidor storage is recommended before smoking, and after storage are not only a bargain but a best buy. This aging helps the wrapper look nice and oily, and also helps the cap of the cigar “settle” on. Right out of the box there is a tendency for the cap to come off the cigar after it’s cut.

One of my favorite aspects of this cigar is its large volumes of flavorful smoke. This Honduran hand rolled cigar is a medium to full bodied, flavorful and spicy smoke that starts with a peppery note and then settles to become almost as mild as the Cuban Sancho Panza variety. From the half-way point on, there is a nice shift in flavor and fullness that leads into a very satisfying finish. The Sancho Panza Double Maduro Escudero is a very flavorful smoke and a true bargain at the price- and who doesn’t like a good bargain?

My sample cigar did have a somewhat uneven burn, but it was easily correctable and not a real problem. The ash is white and firm, and contrasts well with the dark wrapper. I also like the box press shape, which gives me a little something to play with while smoking one of these beauties.