Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Bandolero Premium Bravos is medium tan, with a hint of green and has some fine veins that are outlined in a lighter color. The seams are smooth and the caps are applied very well. There are two bands, with the primary being black, brown, gold and white and denoting the brand. The secondary band is gold, black, white and red and denotes the line. The aroma from the wrapper is a mellow mix of dry earth and wood, while the foot brings graham cracker, stone fruit sweetness and cedar. The pre-light draw brings sandalwood and light earth.
Seth: The Bandolero Premium Bravos is lovely in appearance. The cigar has a great golden hay coloring, and it has some Claro and Natural colorings. The wrapper is smooth and silky throughout, and there are few veins present. It is firm in hand, giving off aromas of aged tobacco, cedar, earth and soft sweet spices.
John: The Bandolero Premium Bravos comes in open-ended cellophane with a retailer UPC sticker containing the cigar information. The cigar is double banded, featuring a Bandolero 52 primary band and a “Premium” secondary band. I weighed the cigar at 15.1 grams and measured the humidity at 64.2% using the CigarMedics HumidiMeter Pro. From the wrapper, I picked up a very intense sweet bread and pastry aroma. From the foot, I noted faint, sweet tobacco and wood.
Jiunn: The Bandolero Premium Bravos doesn’t look too premium. The wrapper is a dull claro shade with a couple areas of green unfermented parts. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas present a good amount of cedar and barnyard funk.

Bandolero Premium Bravos

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, a mix of black pepper and baking spice along with some dry earth. At a half inch in, some creaminess joins the profile. At three quarters of an inch in, the black pepper is exhibiting a long finish. The retrohale is toasted cedar, zingy black pepper and some dry earth. At an inch in, some sandalwood joins the profile and there is no longer any baking spice teamed up with the black pepper. At an inch and a quarter, the black pepper mellows a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is up front, with black pepper and earth in the middle of the profile and some creaminess and sandalwood in the back half. The strength was slightly below medium.
Seth: The first third opens with cedar, cream and sweet spices. There are some tobacco and faint earth notes present, and the cigar has a smooth finish. I would classify the blend as being medium in strength and body.
John: The first third opens with mild bread and wood, evolving into a vegetal and wood combination on the finish. The retrohale presents baking spices in the center, which linger into the post draw. As it settles, the center of the retrohale takes on musty wood, while the finish develops a mildly astringent, tannic wood quality. The flavor then transitions to creamy bread and tobacco leading off, with mild tannic wood in the center, lingering through the finish. Nearing the halfway mark, a buttery note joins the front of the profile.
Jiunn: The first third is citrus driven. There’s a bright lemon citrus that dominates the flavor profile. But there’s also a nice surrounding cast of cedar and roasted mixed nuts. Retrohaling brings spice in the form of dried red pepper spice. The finish is a combination of zesty lemon and cedar. Strength and body is medium.

Bandolero Premium Bravos

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the toast level of the cedar increases and the sandalwood picks up a bit. At a half inch in, a bit of chalkiness mixes in with the creaminess. The retrohale remains toasted cedar, zingy black pepper and some dry earth. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is up front with sandalwood a bit behind, earth and black pepper in the middle of the profile and some creamy chalkiness in the back half. The strength bumped up to medium.
Seth: The second third shows a rise in some coffee bean flavors, and it is paired with that cedar, cream and sweet spices. Tobacco and earth notes present with a smooth finish. Like before, medium in strength and body.
John: The second third begins with creamy, buttery, musty tobacco, followed by mild aged wood in the center and mild dry wood to finish. The retrohale develops vegetal notes and light-plus baking spice, with delayed tannic wood in the post draw. In the bottom half, mild earth joins wood on the finish, rounding out a consistent and well-developed third.
Jiunn: The second third shifts to being more one dimensional. The lemon citrus and cedar overtakes the profile. Although the finish lengthens, the profile lacks depth. Strength and body remains the same.

Bandolero Premium Bravos

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the creaminess increases a bit as the chalkiness becomes pretty light. At three quarters of an inch in, the sandalwood and creaminess are teaming up right behind the toasted cedar. The retrohale is now toasted cedar, creaminess, lightly zingy black pepper and some earth. At an inch in, the black pepper increases a bit. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted cedar is just ahead of the creamy sandalwood, with black pepper right behind and earth in the middle of the profile. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The final third is identical to the first and second third. Very smooth and balanced. Tobacco, cedar, cream and sweet spices. Earth on the finish. Again, medium in strength and body.
John: The final third opens with a return to creamy bread and wood, but the wood becomes sharper and more tannic, eventually taking on some dryness on the finish. As it settles, light earth joins the finish. By the halfway point, the tannic wood in the post draw moves up to medium-minus strength, becoming the dominant lingering note.
Jiunn: The final third is the same as the second third such that it’s still lemon citrus and cedar forward. At this point the profile seems that much more mundane and un-interesting. Strength and body finish the same medium.

Bandolero Premium Bravos

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times, and the cigar went out in the middle, requiring a re-light. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.
Seth: The burn was perfect from start to finish.
John: The burn began slightly wavy but quickly evened out. It maintained a straight burn line for the remainder of the review.
Jiunn: Great burn performance, providing an even burn, tight ashes and cool burning temperature.

Bandolero Premium Bravos

Draw

Aaron: The draw was a bit tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.
Seth: The draw was perfect from start to finish.
John: The draw measured 67 inches of water on the CigarMedics draw machine. Subjectively, it sat at 2½ to 3 notches toward the resistant spectrum, but I didn’t find I had to puff overly hard during the review process.
Jiunn: Great draw performance as well, providing the ideal air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar, a mix of black pepper and baking spice along with some dry earth. Some creaminess joined in a bit later. Then, some sandalwood joined the profile as the baking spice departed. The second third saw the toast level and sandalwood increase and some chalkiness paired up with the creaminess. The final third saw the creaminess increase to mix with the sandalwood and the chalkiness departed. The black pepper also picked up a bit. The Bandolero Premium Bravos had a nice start with a good combination of flavors. It dropped a level in the second third as the balance was lost, but the final third picked back up as the creaminess and sandalwood worked well together. Overall, the cigar is pretty good, but could be really good if the second third could have matched the level of the bookends. The price is high, but I might come back to this and would also be interested in checking out the other vitolas to see how they smoke.
Seth: The Bandolero Premium Bravos is a solid cigar, but it’s hard to justify the $32.00 price tag. I thought the overall flavor profile was lacking and needed more pop. I don’t have a problem with a profile being one-dimensional throughout, but if that is the case it needs a more complex blend with more depth. This cigar seemed to be aged too long or had tobacco that was aged too long before being blended. Alfonso’s blends have lost some kick over the years. Bandolero has never been my favorite brand out of Selected Tobacco, and even this limited production release lacks the qualities to make it a great or even good cigar. I would be curious to see how this cigar smokes after rolling, and then with a little bit of age. Maybe even a year. The three years of aging with all the different types of cedar have truly mellowed out the cigar and put a dominant cedar profile. Not a blend I would come back to in the future.
John: The Bandolero Premium Bravos delivered a refined experience with a consistent, flavorful progression. The first two thirds showcased a dynamic range of creamy bread, buttery tobacco, aged wood and nuanced vegetal and baking spice notes, particularly through the retrohale. The final third lost some complexity, leaning heavier into dry, tannic wood and earth, but still maintained an overall enjoyable character. Supported by excellent burn performance and a well-balanced draw, this cigar stands out as a solid performer that pairs richness with restraint. A worthy option for those who enjoy subtle transitions and classic flavor profiles with finesse. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 1 minute.
Jiunn: No doubt the price is premium but the flavor profile isn’t. Right off the bat with the pre-light, it’s disappointing and unacceptable to see green unfermented tobacco spots to a cigar, let alone a $32 cigar. The smoking experience was also disappointing. It did a great job nailing down acidity in the way the lemon citrus pulled through, but the remaining flavors were uneventful and lacked especially sweetness. This Bandolero Premium Bravos is an easy pass for me.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.47

Cost/Point

$4.95

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.38

Cost/Point

$5.94

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.52

Cost/Point

$4.91

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$5.25

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Bandolero Premium Bravos