Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is dark brown and has a couple of visible veins. The seams are very smooth and a bit hard to see. There appear to be two caps finished off with a twist that is broken off. The foot is covered with excess wrapper that is folded over. The single band is the standard Quick Draw band that designates this cigar having the Pennsylvania wrapper. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of chocolate and earth. The foot aroma is the same due to the covered foot. Pre-light draw is really tight due to the closed foot, but I am able to get a slight hay note along with a decent spice on my lips from the wrapper.

Pre-light Experience

The Southern Draw QuickDraw Pennsylvania Broadleaf Short Panatela has a thick and hearty dark brown wrapper. Veins are well pressed and seams tight and visible. Bunch and roll feels spot on as there is a nice uniformed give throughout. The head is finished off with a well adhered triple cap. Nosing the wrapper gives gives a mixture of cedar and barnyard. Nosing the foot tells baking spices and sharp white pepper. Cold draw tells white pepper, especially on the lips, and a gritty dry earth.

First Third

As the cigar begins, it brings a heavy wood note with some black pepper in the background. At a half inch in, the wood mellows which lets the pepper shine a little more and round out the profile. At three quarters of an inch in, the wood becomes more identifiable as cedar along with the pepper and a slight addition of cream. The retrohale is a smooth cedar. At an inch and a half, some chocolate moves in and pushes the cream out while the cedar moves back to a general wood. There is still a slight bit of pepper in the background and on the finish. The strength in this third was just shy of medium-full.

First Third

initial draws have a nice bouquet of flavors ranging from spice to earth and sweetness. Flavors of dry red pepper especially prevalent on the tip of the tongue, toast, dry earth and creamed nuttiness. Half inch in, baking spices and baking chocolate joins the aforementioned flavors. Through retrohaling, elevated notes of spice (black pepper) and baking spices. The finish is surprisingly clean for such a hearty wrapper as well as short, providing layered red pepper and dry nuts. Strength and body is for the most part at medium.

Second Third

As the third begins, the chocolate transitions into a coffee note to go along with the wood and slight black pepper. At a half inch in, the coffee leaves the profile and is replaced by a slight bitterness that goes along with the wood. At an inch in, the bitterness increases and some ashiness appears to go along with the general wood note. At an inch and a half, a musty note joins in with the bitter wood and ashiness. This is how the third finishes. The strength in this third was slightly above medium.

Second Third

Second third shows a continuous spike in the dry red pepper. It’s important to note the pepper is not so strong that it is dominating the other notes of baking chocolate and dry and slightly gritty earth. The retrohale remains the same, still giving increased black pepper and baking spices. The finish becomes drier and longer with layered red pepper, dry nuts and cardboard. Body moves to somewhere between medium and medium-full, while strength is still medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, it is bitter wood and mustiness as the ashiness has gone away. At a half inch in, the bitterness goes away and the profile is now a smooth wood with the mustiness. As the cigar comes to a close, some cream joins in with the wood and mustiness. The retrohale is a creamy wood. The strength in this third was slightly above medium.

Final Third

The last third shows a further spike in red pepper, now moving towards my rear palate. The baking chocolate is unfortunately gone, replaced by a faintly sweet creamed nuttiness. The retrohale also shows the increase in spice, providing a powerful black pepper with dry nuts in the background. The finish’s spice delivery is no longer layered but lingers on my rear palate, paired with a dry wood. Body is still medium to medium-full, while strength increases to medium-full.

Burn

The burn line was just slightly wavy but never needed any attention. The ash held on in three quarter inch increments.

Burn

Even a “QuickDraw” yielded a long and slow burning 1 hour and 10 minutes of smoking time. Ashes held on tight, averaging 1.5 inch self tapped increments. Burn line was even throughout the entire smoking experience.

Draw

The draw was a bit snug, but I never felt like it was effecting the smoking experience.

Overall

A primarily woody experience with some pepper and accompanying notes of chocolate and coffee. As the cigar went along some mustiness joined in which I tend to enjoy. Performance was pretty good and the strength started a bit full but came back to the medium mark. The QuickDraw series is one that combines flavor and value and this iteration is no different. This is a cigar that some may find as an ideal daily smoke and I can definitely see myself revisiting it from time to time.

Draw

The draw was slightly snug for my liking but nonetheless very good. Regardless of where I cut the cap, the draw was always slightly tight.

Overall

Pennsylvania Broadleaf is a wrapper that is typically more of a miss than hit for me. I find the wrapper to be either too dry and/or earthy. This isn’t the case with the QuickDraw. This cigar showed quite a bit of complexities, especially within the first third. As the cigar progressed, it’s unfortunate that the red pepper drowned out the other beloved notes such as the baking chocolate and baking spices. The finish is something that is noteworthy, as it didn’t plaster my palate with heavy earth. Given how much I typically dislike this wrapper varietal, I would smoke this cigar again and that itself says a lot.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.80

Cost/Point

$0.95

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

7.13

Cost/Point

$0.77

Scoring System