Serafin de Cuba Churchill Review
By Allen on Jun 21, 2010 in Cigar Reviews
- Cigar – Serafin de Cuba
- Filler – Dominican/Nicaraguan?
- Binder – Dominican/Nicaraguan?
- Wrapper – Ecuadorian
- Price – $100 for Bundle of 25
- Shape – Churchill (7 x 48)
A Couple of weeks ago I contacted Arnold Serafin about possibly reviewing some of his cigars for the Nashville Cigar Club podcast and this site. Arnold was most gracious and agreed to send us some samples for review. The fact that the cigars came to us for review does not sway our opinion in the slightest. We at cigarblog.net remain completely subjective, and regardless of price we can share a true opinion based on the smoking experience.
Serafin’s website has this to say about his creation. “Our Serafin de Cuba Cigars are entirely handmade in our factory in Florida in small batches by skilled Cuban Master rollers. Our cigars are all made from authentic Cuban seed tobacco imported from Nicaragua and The Dominican Republic and beautifully finished with Ecuadorian wrapper, one of the world’s best. This is a blend that can be enjoyed by all.”
Serafin de Cuba cigars are sold in Arnold’s stores in Tarpon Springs and Spring Hill, FL as well as through his website. I think as any cigar lover would attest, it’s always nice to find something new and a house blend crafted by a Cuban Master Roller definitely fits the bill. I was extremely excited to light the first of these beauties and see if they smoked as good as they looked and smelled. The cigar itself is well packed with no soft spots. The slightly oily caramel colored wrapper maintains a consistent color and does have a few small veins, but overall nothing to get in the way.
After clipping the cap I began my pre-light walkthrough. The foot emitted aromas of sweet tobacco, hay, and earth. The pre-light draw gave a little resistance which is always nice and offered up the same flavors with hay being predominant. The first third of the cigar continued to offer the same notes of hay with the occasional hint of wood and roasted nut on the retrohale, while finishing with a nice creaminess. The cigar produced loads of nice creamy white smoke and burned wonderfully, with the ash holding well over an inch with no flaking.
The flavor began to pick up a little into the second third. I was still getting the same notes of hay, wood, and nuts with an occasional touch of black coffee. The burn was great and the ash was still holding very well. The cigar was still producing large amounts of smooth smoke which offered the same creamy finish as the first third.
Black coffee became the predominant flavor toward the end, followed still by notes of wood and roasted nuts. The cigar did develop a little bitter “bite”toward the end, but if you like a nice strong cup of black coffee it was a nice bitter flavor. I know that will make sense to those of you that enjoy a strong cup of coffee or espresso. In spite of the bitter notes it still maintained the smooth creamy texture to the nub. The cigar offered some nice changes from start to finish and is definitely a stick that I would recommend to anyone without hesitation. I truly enjoyed these cigars and would safely rate the Serafin de Cuba Churchill a 9 out of 10.
So if you’re looking for a good cigar or just something new, look up Arnold Serafin and his Serafin de Cuba cigars and place an order. He offers several different vitolas in both a Connecticut and Maduro wrapper that range in price from $100 to $125 for a bundle of 25 well crafted cigars. The cigar offered great flavor and as you can see, the price is a steal for such a good cigar.
I have been a customer of Serafin for a few months now. Your descriptions of their cigars is accurate, they are great! Also, Arnold and his company have first rate service. You send an email and you get a response almost instantly. It’s almost as if Arnold stays awake all night. All kidding aside, you will not find better smokes and service in this class of cigar. I have used all the other ” big dist companies” and I can honestly say, these guys are number one. Mark
Mark Davis | Jun 23, 2010 | Reply
I have to say, I was impressed with the barber pole robusto sample. Not knowing the house brand, I was taken back and really not expecting too much in the way of flavor, but this cigar had some nice tones. I enjoyed it one night while cooking out on the deck, and was extremely pleased with the even burn, slight hints of spice and a cool burn toward the end. For the price, these should not be overlooked.
PatL | Jun 26, 2010 | Reply
I have also had the opportunity to smoke the Serafin barber pole. On first look this cigar is a well constructed barber pole with nice veined wrappers. Before lighting I smelled what could only be described as the scent of a can of Skoal. The pre light smell, made me wonder what I was about to get into. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor overall. Did have a few2 burn issues whenever the burn would hit a cross in the wrappers, relatively common for barber poles, but overall a good burning nice smoking stick. As previously stated, this is a stick worth checking out especially when you break down the bundled price and realize they sell for between $4-$5.
Frank Duncan | Jun 28, 2010 | Reply
I have always loved the Churchill size. I hope they are still $100.00 when I go to Salt Lake in Aug in Canada the would be three to six time more. Just hope there are no more tax hikes in the USA
Cuban Cigar Net | Jul 7, 2010 | Reply
I have been a customer of Arnold’s for almost a year. During that time I have been able to smoke samples of almost everything his shop produces, and I must say that I am more satisfied smoking his cigars than anything else I have ever smoked. I throughly enjoy a medium to full bodied cigar, and his truly fit the bill. In addition, the comraderie in his shops makes each visit absolutely memorable.
Steve Newman | Jul 27, 2010 | Reply