Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Southern Draw Rose of Sharon Desert Rose Lonsdale is a dark tan and has a few raised veins that carry a lighter color to them. The seams are easily visible as they are slightly raised, the head is finished off with a small flag and the foot is covered with excess wrapper folded over. The bands maintain the company standard of having the primary with the company name and the secondary the line name, both carrying the color for the line, in this case pink. The aroma from the wrapper is creamy hay while the covered foot brings more of the creamy hay along with musty cedar. The pre-light draw brings musty cedar and light creaminess.

Pre-light Experience

A lovely Lonsdale, the Southern Draw Rose of Sharon Desert Rose Lonsdale is firm throughout and finished with a nice cut rat tail. It has dark Natural coloring, just below Colorado, and it is slightly silky in texture. There are small to medium sized veins present throughout, and it has an aroma of strong spices, cream, fruit stew and earth.

Pre-light Experience

The Southern Draw Rose of Sharon Desert Rose Lonsdale delivers in spades on the pre-light experience. You have the double band, a pig tail style cap complication, a closed food and a tear point on the UPC sticker that leaves the code intact. For aromas, I was able to discern sweet hay, aged wood and faint graham cracker. Detecting aromas from a closed food is challenging, but I was able to pick out faint sweet tobacco and hay.

Pre-light Experience

The Southern Draw Rose of Sharon Desert Rose Lonsdale has an even caramel wrapper shade. Veins well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and head well wrapped. Aromas from the wrapper give rich nuttiness and barnyard. Aromas from the partially enclosed foot tell hay and white pepper. Cold draw gives hay and ripe prunes.

First Third

The cigar begins with musty cedar and light amounts of dry earth and baking spice. At a half inch in, the baking spice has departed. The retrohale is a mix of musty cedar and dry earth. At an inch in, the dry earth becomes even with the musty cedar. As the third comes to a close, the cedar gains a light toast. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

First Third

The first third opens up with some stone fruit notes and it is paired with some cream and earth qualities. There are some walnut qualities present as well, and there are touches of leather, hay and pepper on the finish. In terms of strength and body, the cigar is smoking around a medium level.

First Third

My first few puffs I tasted powdered cocoa, with a dry cedar to finish into the post draw. Creamy baking spices quickly establish themselves on the retrohale. Baking spices join the post draw shortly after at medium strength. As the cigar progresses, candy sweetness joins the retrohale, as baking spices fall to light plus.

First Third

The first third starts off with a mild game meat and cream. The profile quickly builds off this platform and also gives cedar, leather and easy going cinnamon. The finish is quite dry with a lasting cedar and dirt. Retrohaling gives greater cinnamon and a creamy nuttiness. Strength and body is medium.

Second Third

The second third is a continuation of the first. At a half inch in, some black pepper joins the profile. The retrohale maintains the musty cedar and dry earth as a light, dull black pepper is in the background. As the third comes to a close, the musty and toasted cedar and dry earth remain even, with the black pepper right behind. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.

Second Third

The second third shows some transitioning and I am picking up some flavors of cream and coffee. There are some earth notes present as well, and the finish has some hay and barnyard qualities. Nice transitioning while remaining at medium in strength and body.

Second Third

Bread and baking spices combine with sweetness, finishing with a combination of hay and cedar. The post draw takes that hay and cedar and adds some mild, sharp tannins to round it out. As the cigar progresses, chocolate is present, but it’s largely buried under the other flavors. Approaching the halfway mark, the baking spices move up to medium intensity.

Second Third

The second third transitions to a profile that is mainly leather, cedar and cinnamon. The drying finish is more noticeable now, with a long and lingering leather and cedar. Strength and body remains medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the toasted note becomes a bit heavier. The retrohale continues with the musty cedar and dry earth as the black pepper is no longer present. At three quarters of an inch in, the black pepper increases to become even with the other components. The cigar wraps up with an even mix of musty and heavily toasted cedar, dry earth and black pepper. The strength in this third bumped up to slightly above medium.

Final Third

The final third delivers a flavor profile of coffee, cream, cedar and earth. There are some pepper spice notes present also, and the finish has this coconut shaving quality. Like before, medium in strength and body.

Final Third

Dry cedar and hay take the Rose of Sharon into the last third. Some acrid earth comes through as the last third settles in. After the relight, and a purge, the acrid note drops off. Mild bread returns to the retrohale as the last third progresses.

Final Third

The final third tells the same story as the second third. Leather, cedar and cinnamon are the main components. The finish is still very drying on the palate with a mix of leather and cedar. Strength and body finishes medium.

Burn

The burn line was slightly wavy at times and the cigar went out once in both the first and second thirds, requiring re-lights.

Burn

Amazing burn from beginning to end.

Burn

For the review, I smoked two cigars. The first cigar required a re-light in the last third (good burn), the second required no attention at all. Both cigars had a straight burn with the ash holding on up to 2 inches (amazing burn).

Burn

Burn was perfect. Even, cool burning temperature, solid ash marks and good smoke production.

Draw

The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

The cigar started fairly mellow, but as some black pepper joined and built up in the second third, it became a more balanced profile. The final third dropped back down as the toast level and black pepper increased and created a heavier profile. I would put this new vitola on par with the original Desert Rose release, but I still don’t think it’s matches what the Rose of Sharon Toro provides. If you were a fan of the original Desert Rose, this Southern Draw Rose of Sharon Desert Rose Lonsdale will definitely appeal to you. I may return to this on occasion, but I’d be more inclined to go back to the original Rose of Sharon blend.

Draw

Perfect draw. Beautifully constructed.

Overall

The Southern Draw Rose of Sharon Desert Rose Lonsdale is a good cigar and a nice addition to the Desert Rose line. I am undecided on whether it is better than the original offering, but it is definitely better than the original Rose of Sharon line. The first third was really nice, and while there was some transitioning throughout, it never wowed me with the flavor changes. Fairly complex with some depth, a nice medium offering in body and strength. A good cigar, but not one I would keep around or seek out.

Draw

Coincidentally, the cigar that had a re-light also had quite a resistant draw, roughly 3-1/2 to 4 notches putting it into the average category. The second cigar had a slightly resistant draw, roughly 1-1/2 to 2 notches putting it into the very good category.

Overall

The Southern Draw Rose of Sharon Desert Rose Lonsdale was an enjoyable cigar that showed most of its complexity through the first and second thirds. I enjoyed the Lonsdale format, but I think the natural comparison that will be made is with the original Belicoso release in 2019. For me, I think the original release was the optimal ring gauge, and possibly the optimal shape, that delivered a phenomenal cigar of the year performance. Construction and draw varied, with one cigar being average to good and the second being good to very good. Given the consistency of Tabacalera AJ Fernandez, I have to assume the first cigar I smoked was a significant outlier. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 4 minutes.

Draw

The draw was also perfect, giving the ideal air flow.

Overall

The follow up to the Torpedo Desert Rose was not a hit in my books. This version was namely leather, cedar and cinnamon. The drying finish is the biggest let down, lathering my palate with leather and cedar and as a result, requiring more sips of water. This thinner ring gauge as compared to the thicker torpedo ring gauge loses out on the velvety/buttery mouthful that I loved so much in the prior release. I’ll leave this alone and stick to the Torpedo.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.80

Cost/Point

$1.72

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.64

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.42

Cost/Point

$1.56

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.64

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Southern Draw Rose of Sharon Desert Rose Lonsdale