El Primer Mundo Clase Reserva

At the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, Primer Mundo Cigars launched the El Primer Mundo Clase Reserva.  Primer Mundo Cigars is a boutique company based in Atlanta Georgia founded by Sean Williams. Williams has been gaining a solid reputation as one of the rising boutique cigar makers in the industry.  He is teaming up with some of the best factories in the world and creating some very unique blends.  The Clase Reserva is significant for two reasons.  First it marks the first true limited edition cigar produced by Primer Mundo Cigars.   Secondly, it marks the third entry into the company’s popular Little Havana Series – cigars manufactured at the famed El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami, Florida.  While Williams has been doing some great work thus far, it is the Clase Reserva which I feel is his home run.  This is one outstanding cigar.

As mentioned the Clase Reserva is the third entry into the Little Havana Series – joining the El Primer Mundo Liga Miami and El Primer Mundo Epifania.   As retailers have learned about these cigars, they have become very sought after and thus the a Preferred Merchants Program was established in order to obtain these cigars.  The Clase Reserva marks the first true limited edition by Primer Mundo  The plan is for only 1200 boxes with each cigar consisting of 12 cigars.

Without further adieu, let’s break down the El Primer Mundo Clase Reserva and see what this cigar brings to the table:

Blend Profile

The Clase Reserva marks the first cigar that Williams has done using a San Andres wrapper. There is no doubt the San Andres wrapper has proven to be red hot in 2012. The remainder of the cigar utilizes Nicaraguan tobacco.

Wrapper: San Andres Mexican
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

Currently, the Clase Reserva is available in a single size – a 6 x 52 Toro.

Appearance

The El Primer Mundo Clase Reserva’s San Andres wrapper is a light coffee bean color.  The wrapper has a silky complexion to it.   The wrapper seams and veins can been seen, but only upon a close examination.  The wrapper a slight bumpy feel to it.

The Clase Reserva consists of two bands.  The primary band has white silver, and black color scheme featuring the El Primer Mundo globe logo in silver on a white background.  The text “EL PRIMER” sits above the globe in black text on a silver ribbon.  Surrounding the globe are silver medallions.  Below the globe is the text “MUNDO” in black text – also on a silver ribbon.  Below the “MUNDO” text is the text “LITTLE HAVANA” in black font.   The secondary band has a white and silver color scheme.  It features the text “Clase Reserva” in silver cursive font on a white background.  The top and bottom of the band has silver striping.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Before starting my smoking experience, I went with my usual straight cut to remove the cap of the Clase Reserva.  It was then on to commence with the pre-light draw.  The dry draw notes yielded a nice mix of coffee, wood, and citrus sweetness.  Overall, I considered the pre-light experience of the Clase Reserva to be positive.   It was now time to toast the foot of the Clase Reserva and see what this cigar would bring to the table.

Flavor Profile

I found the Clase Reserva to have a complex flavor profile and this started right out of the gate after the cigar was lit.  The initial flavors I got from the Clase Reserva were a combination of coffee, wood, dried fruit, and some pepper.  There was no real dominant flavor.  As the cigar settled in, the coffee flavors became primary, and the pepper notes were secondary.  The dried fruit transitioned to more of a citrus sweetness and also was a secondary note.

As the Clase Reserva moved through the first third, the flavor profile continued to evolve.  The coffee morphed into more of a milk chocolate flavor.  The citrus notes increased and joined the chocolate notes as a primary note.  Soon, I detected some notes of caramel in the forefront.  The pepper spice remained in the background.  While there were nice flavors such as chocolate, caramel, and citrus, the cigar had a real tobacco feel to it.

Toward the end of the first third, the pepper spice took on some hickory qualities to it – giving it some uniqueness.   As the cigar progressed into the second third, it was the citrus notes that were primary.  The chocolate and caramel alternated as to which note was the primary note.  By the time reached the second half, the chocolate notes had not become much of a factor.  The flavor profile remained the same for the remainder of the smoke.    While there was some spice at the end, the Clase Reserva was not harsh as the cigar came to a close.   The resulting nub was near perfect – cool in temperature and firm to the touch.  In fact the nub was a definitely finger-burner.

Burn and Draw

The Clase Reserva gets high scores in the area of burn and draw.   This is no surprise as I have found consistent quality out of the cigars that come out of El Titan de Bronze and all the lines I’ve smoked of Primer Mundo.   As for the burn, the burn line remained straight during the smoke of the Clase Reserva and required minimal touch-ups to keep it burning straight.  The resulting ash was firm with a salt and pepper color.  The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal from start to finish.

Burn of the El Primer Mundo Clase Reserva

The draw was excellent for the Clase Reserva.  This made the Clase Reserva a very enjoyable smoking experience.

Strength and Body

From a nicotine profile, the Clase Reserva starts out as a medium strength cigar.  In the second third, the strength increases to medium to full strength, and by the end of the cigar, the nicotine profile crosses the threshold into full strength.  In other words, the strength of this cigar does sneak up on you.  As for the depth of the flavors, the Clase Reserva is true flavor bomb.  This has some of the most powerful flavors I’ve had in 2012.  I easily categorize the Clase Reserva is full-bodied from start to finish.

In terms of the balance between the strength and body, I give the body an edge for most of the cigar experience.  The balance was probably off a little more than I preferred, but as the strength increased throughout the smoking experience, this helped to close the gap a bit.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Clase Reserva is an outstanding smoke.  The cigar has great construction and has a terrific flavor profile.  As mentioned the body seemed to have an edge over the strength – and while I prefer a closer balance, others will view that as a positive.   The Clase Reserva stands at the top of what Williams has done with Primer Mundo – and he has done some very good blends.   Given this is an extremely full-bodied cigar and one that has the strength sneak up on you, I probably would recommend this to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast.  As for myself, this is certainly a cigar I would smoke again – and consider a box purchase of.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium (progresses to Medium to Full after 1/3; Full toward end)
Body: Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: Memorable
Score: 94


Source: The cigars for this assessment were a combination of cigars gifted by Primer Mundo Cigars, and by a friend.   Samples were initiated by Primer Mundo for the purpose of providing feedback.  Cigar Coop is appreciative for this samples, but this plays no role in the final assessment and score.