Kristoff Galerones Sentido
The Kristoff Galerones Sentido is one of four new cigar blends that has been introduced in Kristoff’s Galerones line.  The Galerones line is not just a set of new cigars, but it marks a radical change in direction for the products being released by Kristoff. The Galerones line features more sleek packaging, and incorporates tobaccos Kristoff has not previously used..  On top of that the Galerones is made in a different factory – Abe Flores’ PDR Cigars factory.  Each of the four blends of the Galerones line are distinct. From our discussion this past June with company founder Glen Case, there was a lot of excitement from him about this project.  Today we take a closer look at the Sentido. The Sentido represents the second of the four cigars we have reviewed on Cigar Coop.  Without a doubt, this is proving to be a solid line by Case and the Sentido showcases this.

The name Sentido means “senses” in Spanish.  According to Case, “this cigar tastes as good as it looks, smells, and feels, which is why it’s called Sentido”.  It is positioned as a medium-bodied offering.  Like all of the Galerones blends, the Sentido was built from the ground up – and is a completely different blend than the DR4, Ceniza de Plata, and Intensivo blends.


Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Kristoff Galerones Sentido and see what this cigar brings to the table.


Blend Profile

The Sentido uses a Brazilian Cubra wrapper.  This is a wrapper is a staple of the PDR Cigars factory.  This factory is one of the few to use it.


Wrapper: Brazilian Cuban Seed (Cubra)
Binder: Nicaraguan Cuban Seed
Filler: Nicaraguan Cuban Seed, Dominican Cuban Seed, Brazilian Cuban Seed

Vitolas Available

The Kristoff Galerones Sentido is being launched in four vitolas.  The cigars are packaged in boxes of 20.

Robusto: 5 x 52
Toro: 6 1/4 x 54
Torpedo: 6 1/4 x 52
660: 6 x 60

Appearance

For this cigar experience, I went with the toro size of the Galerones Sentido.  This wrapper’s color is a cross between medium brown and cinnamon. The wrapper has a slight amount oil on the surface.  There are visible veins, but the wrapper seams are well-hidden.  True to what Case said, there was a nice aroma from the footer – in this case, I detected it to be cedar.

The banding and packaging also have a big change when it comes to the Galerones Series.  The bands have more of a glossy look and this is reflected on the Sentido.

Packaging of the Kristoff Galerones Sentido

There are two bands on the Sentido.  The primary band has a black, pale yellow, and gold color scheme. The top section of the band has a pale yellow background.  On that background is the text “KRISTOFF” in a slightly curved arrangement in gold.  The remainder of the top section of the band has gold adornments – including a crown on top.  The lower section of the band has a black background.  The text “GALERONES” sits on top of that background in a a duller gold font. Below that text is the text “SERIES” in a smaller pale yellow colored font.  On the left side of the black background is the text “D.Republic” and on the right side is the text “Glen Case” – both in gold scripted font.  The remainder of the band has gold trim.

Immediately below that band is a secondary band.  It has a black background as well.  The text “KRISTOFF” sits on top of the background in gold font.  Below that is the text “SENTIDO” in pale yellow font with gold trim, and just below that is Glen Case’s name in gold cursive font surrounded by a white stripe on each side..  To the left and right is the text “GALERONES” in a dull gold font.  There is also gold trim on the band.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Prior to the actual smoking experience, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut.  After successfully removing the cap, I moved on to the pre-light draw ritual.  The dry draw notes of the Sentido provided me a mix of cedar sweet spice, natural tobacco, and a touch of raisin.  Overall, I considered the pre-light draw of the Sentido to be excellent.  At this point, I was ready to light up the Sentido and see what else this cigar had in store.

Flavor Profile

The Kristoff Galerones Sentido started out with a mix of natural tobacco, white pepper and toast notes. There were also some raisin notes in the background.  By the five percent point the toast notes transitioned to more of a woody flavor.  These wood notes were present in the forefront with the natural tobacco.  The pepper receded to the background joining the raisin flavor. 

From a “senses” perspective, the retro-hae was very interesting.  I found the retro-hale to have some of the white pepper notes, but I could also detect some of the raisin sweetness through the nasal passages as well.  So far, the Sentido was living up as advertised.

By the ten percent mark of the Sentido, there was some more transition in the forefront.  The wood notes transitioned to more of a graham cracker variety.  These graham cracker notes were in the forefront with the natural tobacco.  The pepper and raisin remained int he background.  Following this point, these flavors made up the flavor profile going forward.  The one exception is that the graham cracker and wood seemed to transition back and forth.  At times the wood was present – and at other times the graham cracker was present.

By the last third of the Sentido, the white pepper joined the graham cracker/wood and natural tobacco in the forefront. Overall there was some spice toward the end, but it never got harsh.  The resulting nub was cool in temperature and soft to the touch.

Burn and Draw

The burn to the Kristoff Galerones Sentido performed reasonably well.  There were a couple of points where the burn line did meander, but the touch-ups with my butane lighter made the necessary adjustments.  The cigar was never in danger of canoeing or tunneling.  The resulting ash was firm with a salt and pepper color.  The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

Burn of the Kristoff Galerones Sentido

The draw had a touch of resistance to it – something that I consider a positive.  This made the Kristoff Galerones Sentido a very enjoyable smoking experience.

Strength and Body

As we mentioned earlier, the Sentido was positioned as a medium-bodied offering in the Galerones line.  Once again, the Sentido lived up as advertised.  I found the flavors to be medium-bodied from start to finish.  At the same time, the strength to the Sentido was not overpowering – making the cigar a medium strength cigar.  The Sentido does a great job at balancing its strength and body throughout the smoking experience.

Final Thoughts

There aren’t a lot of factories that use the Brazilian Cubra wrapper, but as mentioned PDR Cigars is probably the best known of them.  I’ve had several cigars that use this wrapper.  Without a doubt the Kristoff Galerones Sentido had the most unique flavor profile I’ve tasted on a cigar with the Cubra wrapper.  I’ll even go a step further and say that this is probably the most different cigar I’ve had to date from Kristoff.  Overall I found the flavors to be outstanding.  This is a perfect cigar for any time of the day – and one that I’d recommend to either the novice or experienced cigar enthusiast.  As for myself, this is not only a cigar that I’d smoke again, but its one worthy of splitting a box with someone.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Good
Assessment: 3.5 – Box Split
Score: 92

Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Burners Cigars in Huntersville, North Carolina.