Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Saga Short Tales Tomo V L.A.V. is light golden brown with a network of slightly raised veins. The seams are smooth and fairly hard to detect while the head is finished off with a smooth double cap. There are two bands, with the primary being in gold and carrying the company name and the secondary band in green denoting the line name. The aroma from both the wrapper and foot is a light hay note. The pre-light draw also carries a light hay note.

First Third

The cigar begins with a mix of wood, floral notes and a mild baking spice. At a half inch in, the flavor profile is mixing well as the baking spice picks up a bit. At an inch in, the retrohale is providing a mix of the wood and floral notes. The third ends with this same profile. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the wood takes a step up in fullness while the floral notes and baking spice are behind it. The retrohale is now a slightly charred wood. At an inch in, the wood recedes slightly letting the floral note play a larger role while the baking spice is very faint. The strength in this third remained at slightly below medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the wood gains a bit of char as some cream joins in. The floral notes and baking spice are no longer present. At a quarter inch in, a light floral note returns to the profile. The retrohale provides a creamy charred wood. This is how the cigar finishes. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.

Burn

The burn was maddening. A large number of re-lights were required as it just kept going out.

Draw

The draw was quite tight and probably played into the poor combustion.

Overall

The fact that the flavor profile of the Saga Short Tales Tomo V L.A.V. was pretty enjoyable through the first two thirds while the construction was quite poor is a testament to this blend. I would love to revisit a better constructed version to see if this cigar can really shine. This is my third review of the Short Tales line. I had subpar construction in another one and a great experience with the other, so it’s hard to really pinpoint how good these can be. I would say it’s definitely worth a try if you get well constructed versions, but if not, move on to something else.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.35

Cost/Point

N/A

Scoring System

Personal Cigar Review: Saga Short Tales Tomo V L.A.V.