• Cigar Reviewed: El Rey del Mundo Taínos Edición Regional Formosa 2018
• Country of Origin: Cuba
• Factory: Not Disclosed
• Wrapper: Cuba
• Binder: Cuba
• Filler: Cuba
• Length: 7 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 47
• Vitola: Churchill
• Release Date: 2019
• Number of Cigars Released: 8,888 10-Count Boxes (88,880 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The El Rey del Mundo Taínos doesn’t wow me in terms of appearance: it is a fairly standard vitola with a nondescript milk chocolate brown wrapper that is smooth to the touch with a little tooth, albeit very little visible oil. The cigar is quite hard when squeezed but one sample had a huge soft spot—more like a crater—about halfway between the secondary band and the foot on the backside. Aroma from the wrapper is a combination of light orange citrus, cedar, cocoa nibs, barnyard, cinnamon and hay while the cold draw brings flavors of aromatic cedar, leather tack, spiced oranges, roasted espresso beans, earth and creamy almonds.

Starting out, the El Rey del Mundo features a profile dominated by a distinct combination of leather tack and almonds, interspersed with notes of cedar, earth, cinnamon, hay and slight soapiness. While the finish is full of bitter espresso, the retrohale includes both generic citrus and white pepper. In terms of construction, two samples feature an excellent draw after a straight cut while one is extremely tight. The burn follows suit, as two samples need no attention while the last one has to be touched up a couple of times to avoid it getting out of hand. Smoke production is on the low side of normal while the overall strength shows early signs of life, hitting a point closer to medium than mild by the end of the first third.