Pre-light Experience

Seth: The Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde is average in appearances. I am going to go out on a limb and guess that the band on this cigar is average as well. I say that because Aaron’s homemade 1581 band does not look too shabby against the wrapper. The wrapper has a dark Natural to Colorado coloring, and it is silky in texture. It is soft in texture, and there are few veins throughout. Aromas on the cigar are those of tobacco, barnyard and earth. Faint spices.
John: The Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde features a Colorado Maduro wrapper in a Robusto format. I weighed the cigar at 12.7 grams and measured the humidity at 53.7% using the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper consisted primarily of rich tobacco with underlying earth. From the foot, I detected wood, sweet tobacco and earth.
Jiunn: The Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde has a blotchy Colorado wrapper shade featuring nice slick oiliness on the fingertips. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the cap is sloppily applied. Pre-light aromas present cedar wood, moss and a hint of earl grey tea.

Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde

First Third

Seth: The cigar begins by delivering musty wood and barnyard qualities. Faint leather and earth notes are present as well with some spices and tobacco notes as well. There are touches of coffee and minerals on the finish. Medium-full in strength and body.
John: The first third opens with sweet tobacco leading the profile, while restrained baking spices occupy the center and become more pronounced through the retrohale. The retrohale is defined by creamy sweet tobacco up front, accented by mild earth and medium-minus strength baking spices through the center. As the first third continues, the baking spices steadily build, eventually reaching medium-full strength. Through the bottom half of the first third, bread joins the retrohale alongside wood, adding another layer of complexity while maintaining the cigar’s balanced character.
Jiunn: The first third is tasty and satisfying. There’s a baseline of a super unique sweetness that’s almost reminiscent of burnt caramel or burnt marshmallows. There’s also a good dose of baking spices and cedar wood. Retrohaling gives amped up baking spices. The finish is medium length with trailing cedar wood. Strength and body is medium.

Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde

Second Third

Seth: The second third is in line with the first. Musty wood, barnyard, leather and earth notes. Spices, tobacco, coffee and mineral notes are present again. Like before, it is medium-full in strength and body.
John: The second third begins with creamy dry wood leading the profile, accented by mild bread while delayed baking spices emerge through the finish. As the cigar progresses toward the halfway point, the profile remains remarkably consistent. The primary change is the addition of light-plus dry wood through the finish, which reinforces the increasingly wood-forward character without dramatically altering the overall balance.
Jiunn: The second third’s profile shifts to show more baking spices and cedar wood instead of being more sweet and creamy. There’s also a construction paper note that actually adds a nice new layer of flavors, pairing especially well to cedar wood. Strength increases to medium-full, while body remains medium.

Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde

Final Third

Seth: The final third delivers more musty wood, barnyard, leather, minerals and earth. Medum-full in strength and body. Other than that, not much change.
John: The final third begins with some remaining sweet tobacco, but various expressions of wood quickly become the dominant flavor drivers. Tannic wood defines the main profile while dry wood carries through the finish. As the cigar progresses, earth develops through the retrohale while bitterness gradually builds on the finish. Through the bottom half, the cigar begins to heat up, and lingering spice becomes noticeable on the lips after each puff, diminishing the balance established earlier in the smoke.
Jiunn: The final third becomes a bit harsh and raw off minerals and baking spices. There is also significantly less sweetness and creaminess. Strength and body remains medium-full and medium, respectively.

Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde

Burn

Seth: The burn was slightly off throughout.
John: The burn was wavy throughout the first third and eventually required a touch-up to correct. It remained wavy during the second third before becoming uneven in the final third, where it formed a canoe that required a second touch-up.
Jiunn: Perfect burn performance featuring an even burn, tight ashes, cool burning temperatures and ample smoke production.

Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde

Draw

Seth: The draw was good from beginning to end.
John: The draw measured 30 inches of water on the Cigar Medics draw tester. Subjectively, it sat squarely within the ideal range, providing an effortless smoking experience.
Jiunn: The draw was also perfect, giving the ideal air flow and resistance.

Overall

Seth: The Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde is an average cigar. It’s not bad, but it’s not a cigar I am interested in seeking out and smoking again in the future. Maybe I will be glad that I smoked it when I see what the actual cigar is, but other than that there is nothing with this cigar that speaks to me. It is a cigar with an average profile that is lacking in complexity and depth.
John: Blind Cigar #1581 delivers an enjoyable opening built around sweet tobacco, creamy texture and steadily building baking spices. The retrohale is the highlight of the experience during the first third, offering an appealing combination of sweetness, earth and increasingly vibrant spice. The addition of bread and wood later in the first third rounds out the profile nicely without sacrificing its balance. The second third favors consistency over evolution. Dry wood gradually moves to the forefront while the sweet tobacco becomes less prominent, but the overall profile remains pleasant and easy to follow. Although there are only subtle changes, the cigar maintains enough complexity to stay engaging through the middle portion of the smoke. The final third marks a noticeable decline as tannic and dry wood increasingly dominate the profile. Earth and bitterness slowly build, and the cigar’s rising temperature introduces lingering spice on the lips that further reduces the overall refinement. While the cigar never becomes harsh, it loses much of the balance and sweetness that made the opening third enjoyable. Construction is a mixed bag. The draw is excellent from beginning to end, falling squarely within the ideal range and requiring virtually no effort. The burn, however, proves less reliable, requiring two touch-ups to manage waviness and an eventual canoe. While these issues are manageable, they provide a distraction from focusing on the flavor profile. Overall, the Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde offers a strong opening third supported by excellent draw performance, but its limited progression, increasingly wood-driven profile, and average burn keep it from reaching the next level. It finishes as an above average, albeit enjoyable smoke that ultimately earns an Average overall rating. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 43 minutes.
Jiunn: The Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde is an overall great cigar being candy like in sweet and creaminess with balancing earthiness and spice. But whomever the QC team is for this company needs a talking to. There’s no reason to apply such an ugly cap to an overall good looking cigar. I don’t know why this bothers me but it does.

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.15

Cost/Point

$2.33

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.90

Cost/Point

$2.03

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.76

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde