PCA Magazine 2022 Show Issue

20 PCA The Magazine | VOLUME 2 2022 PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG What We’re Smoking Members reviewing one of the cigars smoked in their establishment | JAY R. DAVIS Blue Smoke of Dallas Dallas, Texas CIGAR: Ferio Tego Panamerica Belicoso SIZE: Belicoso SMOKE TIME: 1 hour, 35 minutes Appearance &Aroma The Ferio Tego Panamerica Belicoso is a beautiful oily brown cigar with no noticeable veins. The aroma is sweet and pleasant to the nose. I do not detect any harshness and amexpecting a smoothness from the initial aroma of the cigar. The dry draw is enjoyable as well, remindingme of an early day of warmweather in spring after a little rain — a refreshing break from winter. I performed a flat cut with a slight angle. Light Up & Draw The cigar has an effortless draw but is not loose — not surprising given Ferio Tego’s usual quality and that this cigar is made at the Plasencia factory inNicaragua. The initial light-up has that characteristically sweet taste I would expect froma Sumatra wrapper seed grown in Ecuador. I prefer Sumatra seed grown in Cameroon as the flavor is more complex, but the Ecuadorian soil used here does not disappoint. The taste is just sweet enough to reveal its natural tobacco flavor. It is immediately clear to me that the tobaccos used in this blend have been well cared for and aged. There is no harshness to the flavor. Early Profile I don't usually smoke a belicoso in themorning because I find thema tad stronger than other sizes. This cigar, however, like a good coffee, has decent, medium strength, that I'menjoying this morning. The natural sweetness of the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper is complemented by the strength of the Nicaraguan and Costa Rican fillers. The cigar does not havemuch of the typical Nicaraguan white pepper and harshness that I find inmany other cigars, which I do enjoy at times but not in themorning. Rather, the Panamerican has a refined balance of strength and flavor. I have done a few retrohales so far and that gives memore spice and strength and adds to the enjoyment. This first third is elegant with a nice power base when I want to retrohale. The burn is even and has required no touch ups . Middle Profile & Burn The burn continues to be razor-sharp. The flavors remainmedium in strength, perhaps a notch higher, but the cigar continues to have an optimal balance and a delightful retrohale. Some of the sweetness has dissipated as more strength has come to the front but still there is no harshness or heavy pepper taste. Along with black coffee, this cigar would go well with a diet coke or a nice light Speyside scotch. If you’re a tea drinker, then Earl Grey would bemy choice to pair. The cigar has not gotten hot and I am impressed with the construction so far. Late Profile Late on, the Panamerican continues to impress. The sweetness has gone down a bit more but the strength is still velvety and the retrohale has muchmore spice and strength than during the first third. A novice cigar smoker might have some challenges with the strength of the final third of the cigar, but it has been a gradual build-up. Sometimes a cigar loses something in the last third, but the Panamerican has not. This cigar, like the road inNicaragua, which I assume it’s named after, continues to bring promise just as when you travel fromManagua and enter the higher and cooler elevations of Estelí. Final Word The Panamerica Belicoso is a wonderful cigar. It has a great natural sweetness paired with an underlying strength. The sweetness does dissipate slightly as the strength increases, but it is gradual. An experienced smoker will enjoy the balance the cigar provides with its underlying strength and delicious retrohale. Newer smokers would enjoy this cigar but should take their time during the last half of the cigar as its strength builds. I enjoyed smoking this cigar down to about the one inchmark. “Late on, the Panamerican continues to impress. The sweetness has gone down a bit more but the strength is still velvety and the retrohale has much more spice and strength than during the first third.” WS W