Caldwell Seleccion Junior Varsity Sevillana Magnum

The Sevillana is one of three cigars part of Caldwell Cigar Company’s Seleccion Junior Varsity line.  While the Caldwell Collection line has gotten quite a bit of attention, it is the Junior Varsity line that has flown under the radar. Caldwell Cigar Company has prided themselves on small batch production incorporating hard to find tobaccos. The Junior Varsity line keeps true to this mantra but offers their products at a more budget friendly price of $5.00 to $7.00. The Sevillana is the Ecuadorian Connecticut offering of the Junior Varsity line. Recently I’ve had an opportunity to smoke the Sevillana in the 6 x 60 Magnum format. I found this to be an outstanding cigar. In fact, with the Magnum, this was one of the better 6 x 60 Ecuadorian Connecticut cigars I have smoked.

Robert Caldwell is the man behind Caldwell Cigar Company. Following his departure from Wynwood Cigars, Caldwell set his sights on the Dominican Republic where he has teamed up with William and Henderson Ventura at Tabacalera Ventura to make his blends for his new company. He launched two lines each consisting of three blends, the Caldwell Collection and the Seleccion Junior Varsity. In addition to the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapped Sevillana, the Habano wrapped Gibraltar, and the San Andres Maduro wrapped Murcias are also a part of the Seleccion Junior Varsity line.

The three names of the Seleccion Junior Varsity have ties to the country of Spain.  The Gibraltar is named for the island off the Iberian Peninsula.  The Murcias is named for a city in Southeastern Spain.  Sevillana is named for a style of folk and dance in the country of Spain.

Caldwell Seleccion Junior Varsity Packaging (Left to Right: Gibraltar, Sevillana, Murcias) Photo Credit: Caldwell Cigar Company

Caldwell Seleccion Junior Varsity (Left to Right: Gibraltar, Murcias, Sevillana) Photo Credit: Caldwell Cigar Company

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Caldwell Seleccion Junior Varsity Sevillana and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

While the wrapper is an Ecuadorian Connecticut, the remaining tobaccos in the blend have not been disclosed at this time.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Not disclosed
Filler: Not disclosed

Vitolas Available

The Sevillana is available in four sizes.  Each of these four sizes are available in ten count boxes.

Corona: 5 3/4 x 41
Torpedo: 6 x 52
Magnum: 6 x 60
Churchill 7 1/4 x 48

Appearance

For this cigar experience, I smoked the Magnum (6 x 60) size of the Sevillana. The Sevillana has a slightly weathered, less golden-brown Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper.  There is a slight amount of oil on the surface of the wrapper.  There are some visible wrapper seams and visible veins on the cigar.  The cap is finished with a thick pig-tail.

The band is white in color with gold font and design.  The band design is arranged in landscape mode. At the center of the band is a gold bull with a cross design over it.  The bull design is surrounded by various gold adornments. Above the bull is a white ribbon with the text “LOYALTY OVER GREED” in small font. Above the ribbon is the text “SEVILLANA” in large gold font.  Going around the circumference of the band is a stripe that has the text “2014” on it.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As opposed to pulling the cap off the Sevillana Magnum, I opted to place a straight cut to remove both the cap and tail at the same time. Once the cap was successfully removed I proceeded with the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered a tingly spice, and an orange cream note. Overall I considered this to be a good pre-light draw. At this point I was ready to light up the Sevillana and see what the smoking phase would deliver.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Sevillana Magnum provided a mix of orange cream, wood, and pepper notes – with all of the notes pretty much on equal ground.  A mild spice was present on the retro-hale right out of the gate.  By the ten percent note, the orange and cream notes were present on the draw.  On the after-draw, I picked up a combination of cedar and pepper.

As the Sevillana Magnum moved into the second third, the cream notes really took hold and became the primary flavor.  The orange sweetness dialed back joining the cedar and pepper notes as background flavors. All of the flavors could be detected on the main draw and after-draw.

By the last third, the cream notes remained in the forefront.  The cedar notes transitioned back to more of a classic woody note and joined the cream in the forefront. There was a slight increase in the pepper spice.  Overall this is the way the flavor profile remained until the end.  The resulting nub was outstanding – especially for a 60 ring gauge.  The nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn and draw for this sixty ring gauge cigar perform very well.  The burn line remained relatively straight.  They were a couple of small jagged points, but nothing that proved to be a major problem.  The resulting ash was on the firm side with a salt and pepper color.  There was some minor flaking along the way, but again this was not problematic.  The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

The draw was outstanding. This draw will not be too loose nor will it be too tight.  I found this to be a low maintenance cigar to puff on – especially for a 60 ring gauge.

Strength and Body

While many Ecuadorian Connecticut releases have tried to push the boundaries of strength and body by something on the fuller side, I did not see that with the Sevillana. From a strength perspective, the Sevillana falls into the mild to medium range.  As for the flavors,  I assessed them as having enough depth to be assessed as medium-bodied.  In terms of strength versus body, I found the body to have an edge on the Sevillana.

Final Thoughts

In terms of the debate of 60 ring gauges, I’ve always been in the corner that it is still good for the industry.  However when it has come to Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapped 60 ring gauges, I have found that there are few and far between that deliver.  The Sevillana proved to me that an Ecuadorian Connecticut can be done right in a 60 ring gauge.  Sevillana won’t try to redefine an Ecuadorian Connecticut smoke, but it delivers a solid experience.  This is a well constructed cigar that delivers excellent flavor.  I’d recommend this cigar to a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast looking for a Ecuadorian Connecticut cigar.  I’d even encourage those who say “I will never smoke a 60 ring gauge” to give this a try.  As for myself, this cigar is worth a box split.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 3.5 – Box Split
Score: 91

References

News: Caldwell Cigar Company to Launch Seleccion Junior Varsity
Price: $6.90
Source: Samples provided by Manufacturer 
Stogie Geeks Episode: Episode 109
Stogie Feed: Caldwell Seleccion Junior Varsity Sevillana Magnum