Por Larranaga Picadores No.1 Hand Rolled Cuban Cigars (Full Box of 25)
- Length: 127mm
- Gauge: 48
- Flavour: Mild - Medium
- Hand Rolled
- Wrapper: Cuban
- Filler: Cuban
- Long Filler
- Cuban
Por Larrañaga Picadores No. 1 – Full Box of 25 Cuban Cigars Some Cuban cigar makers have spent the last century chasing publicity. Por Larrañaga, meanwhile, has been getting on with making cigars since 1834, which strikes me as a fairly convincing way of establishing a reputation.
The Picadores No. 1 is a particularly fine example of the marque's traditional character. Reintroduced in 2014, the Picadores name reaches back into Por Larrañaga's earlier catalogue, bringing a little Havana history into the modern range.
At 127mm long with a 48 ring gauge, the Picadores uses the Hermosos No. 4 factory vitola. It's a pleasingly balanced size, offering more substance than a Petit Corona while retaining the comfortable proportions of a traditional Cuban cigar.
The blend is entirely Cuban, with wrapper, binder and long-filler tobacco from the celebrated Vuelta Abajo region of Pinar del Río.
Por Larrañaga has long been associated with a gentler, naturally sweet style of Havana tobacco, and the Picadores follows that tradition beautifully. Caramel, honey and toasted nuts are among its characteristic flavours, accompanied by cedar, cream and a little spice as the cigar develops. The strength remains around light to medium, although the flavour has enough depth to reward a slower, more attentive smoke.
Allow approximately 40 to 50 minutes for each cigar.
This presentation contains 25 Picadores No. 1 cigars in their original Por Larrañaga dress box, with the familiar yellow and green packaging and traditional red-and-gold cigar bands.
A complete box is particularly appealing for anyone who enjoys the changes that careful ageing can bring to Cuban tobacco. The Picadores has a naturally rounded character that makes it an interesting candidate for a little time in the humidor.
And with 25 in the box, there's ample opportunity to compare them along the way. Although I've known customers who intended to age an entire box and discovered, six months later, that they'd conducted rather more research than originally planned.
