Colón Especiales III
 

Colón is a Panamanian puro by the German owned company Darier & Cleef. Their Colón Grand Vintage is their ultra premium and ultra expensive cigar. They also produce Marca Fina, a bundled budget cigar in several vitola's and available as Panamanian, Honduran and Dominican puros, so you can really discover the taste differences in the tobaccos from these countries, Campo Verde, the first Fair Trade cigar ever and the Colón Especiales line which is much nicer priced with a price tag below 15 euro. I had a sit down with the owner and the Dutch representative Gerhard Weigl in the smoke lounge of restaurant Klein Kalfje in Amsterdam where we talked about cigars, promotion and so on.

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First thing I notice is the nice band, which has nice lettering but what really got my eyes were the golden dots that create the shape of Panama on the band. I think that is a nice touch. The light colored wrapper has lots of small thin veins and some spots. The wrapper is oily. The construction feels good and the cigar has a mild barnyard and wood smell. I punched the cigar and got a great predraw with a mild wood flavor which is mild spicy. This Colón Especiales is 6 inch long and has a ring of 42.

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I taste a warm coffee flavor with some wood. It strikes me again that tobacco from Panama tastes so different than tobacco from other countries, much smoother. The flavors are full and complex. After an inch the coffee has disappeared and I taste herbs with wood and some earth. The flavors aren't Cubanesque but the complexity of the cigar is. The flavors are mild sticky.

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Halfway I taste a nut flavor for a short amount of time as a support of the wood and earth. The herbal flavor is gone. The flavors are still full but smooth. After ⅔ the herbs return and become dominant rightaway with earth on the background. After ¾ the nut flavors return, I can taste hazelnuts and walnuts with the herbs.

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The smoke time of this cigar is about 90 minutes. The cigar produces a nice amount of thick white smoke. The draw and burn are very good. The salt & pepper colored ash isn't very firm. There is a built up of nicotine in the cigar which leads to a nice flame while purging. This cigar is full flavored yet mild to medium bodied and quite complex. I would not smoke this right after a heavy dinner, but this is a very nice cigar late in the morning, early in the afternoon or after a light dinner.

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Would I buy this cigar again? Yes, I liked it a lot.

Appearance: 7 / 10
Construction: 8 / 10
Draw: 8 / 10
Burn: 8 / 10
Smoke & ash: 8 / 10
Aroma first part: 8 / 10
Aroma second part: 8 / 10
Aroma third part: 8 / 10

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

Where is the factory for these cigars located?

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

Panama

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

Which city? I am going down there for Christmas, and I would love to stop by the factory if I could.

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

I contacted the German owner and asked if it is possible to visit the factory.

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

Colon? Did it taste like s#!t? LOL Sorry Ferd had to say it.

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

Another fine review Ferdie!! :tu

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

What did he say?

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

patience is a virtue Wayner. You can't expect a busy factory owner to reply immidiately.

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

Sorry Don, it seemed like you were piecemealing me along. I thought you were a rep for this company, and thus I thought you had prompt contact. I am sorry for assuming. I am anxious to see what they reply. I know of 1 factory down there already, but they are pretty small and the cigars do not taste very good.

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

Another great review Ferd. :tu

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

i don't think i would be able to smoke a cigar with that name...

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

Any word yet from the owner?

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

no. I will let you know as soon as he replies.

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

Been almost a month now, any word on where or if a person can go to this factory?

Re: Colón Especiales III
 

what part of "i will let you know as soon as he replies" don't you understand?