In 2022 Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) decided to give the Sancho Panza brand a makeover. If you aren’t familiar with Sancho Panza, it is a brand named after a character from the literary work Don Quixote. It is a brand that has its roots in Cuba going back to 1848, but STG now has the U.S. trademark (which it acquired when it acquired Villazon & Company). For the most part, Sancho Panza had been a value-priced catalog brand dormant at the brick-and-mortar level. That all changed in 2022 when STG decided to resurrect Sancho Panza. Justin Andrews and Matt Booth collaborated to revamp the brand and packaging – with all aimed at being sold at brick-and-mortar stores. Today, we look more closely at the 2022 version of one of the revamped blends, the Sancho Panza Double Maduro in the Robusto size.

Sancho Panza was showcased at the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. The revamped line was on display at Matt Booth’s Room101 booth. Room101 had been acquired by STG a month before the trade show. In reality, Booth had been working with STG on this project prior to the PCA Trade Show. Three new lines were released, and all previous Sancho Panza lines were re-imagined. These lines included Sancho Panza – The Original, Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte, and Sancho Panza Double Maduro. The three were kept as value-priced lines.

For now, let’s turn our attention back to the Sancho Panza Double Maduro Robusto and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The blend for the revamped Sancho Panza Double Maduro is different than the original release of the Sancho Panza Double Maduro. It consists of an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over a binder from Estelí, Nicaragua, and a combination of Dominican and Nicaragua fillers. Production comes from STG’s HATSA factory in Danlí, Honduras.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan Estelí
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: Honduran American Tobacco S.A. (HATSA)

Vitolas Offered

There are three sizes in the Sancho Panza Double Maduro line. Each of the three sizes is presented in 20-count boxes.

Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52
Gigante: 6 x 60

Appearance

The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper on the Sancho Panza Double Maduro Robusto is a dark one. It almost has the look of a dark chocolate bar. It has a slight sheen of oil on it and a bit of a silky complexion. The wrapper’s surface did have some veins, and despite the darker wrapper, the wrapper seams were visible.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to commence the cigar experience of the Sancho Panza Double Maduro Robusto. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw stage. The cold draw delivered a combination of mocha (which in this author’s book is a fusion between chocolate and coffee notes), earth, and herbal notes. Overall this wasn’t a great pre-light draw experience. Since the pre-light draw is not scored, there was no loss or points on the numerical score or value rating. At this point, it was time to toast up the Sancho Panza Double Maduro Robusto move into the smoking stage.

Tasting Notes

The Sancho Panza Double Maduro Robusto opened up with mocha, earth, and herbal notes. Some subtle notes of dried fruit and black pepper were present. As the cigar burned through the first half, the mocha and earth notes moved into the forefront as the dried fruit, black pepper, and herbal notes settled in the background. Meanwhile, an additional layer of herbal and black pepper notes was on the retro-hale.

During the second third of the Sancho Panza Double Maduro Robusto, the combination of the mocha and earth notes remained grounded in the forefront. The dried fruit, black pepper, and herbal notes remained secondary, but there was a gradual increase in the pepper and herbal notes during this span of the smoking experience.

The herbal notes joined the earth in the forefront by the final third. The mocha notes receded into the background, joining the pepper and dried fruit notes. During this stage, the flavors were quite muddled at times. As the cigar experience of the Sancho Panza Double Maduro Robusto concluded, the nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

While the Sancho Panza Double Maduro Robusto maintained a straight burn path and straight burn line, it required an excessive number of touch-ups to do so. The resulting ash was firm with a silver-gray color to it. This was an ash that was on the firm side. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature both maintained ideal levels.

Draw

As for the draw of the Sancho Panza Double Maduro Robusto, it performed quite well. It had a touch of resistance to it – which, if you have read my assessments, you will know is a positive for me. In addition, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavors from.

Strength and Body

The Sancho Panza Double Maduro Robusto delivered a medium-strength, medium-bodied smoking experience from start to finish. Along the way, there was a slight increase in the intensity of the strength and body, but in the end, both attributes remained in the medium range. The strength and the body balanced each other nicely – with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

The packaging came out fantastic for the entire revamped Sancho Panza series. I always considered the original version of the Sancho Panza packaging to be drab and boring. The entire revamped Sancho Panza line’s bold colors make the logo stand out better. Using color along with a secondary band helps easily differentiate the cigars from one another.

Packaging of the Sancho Panza Double Maduro

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

While the packaging really came out great, unfortunately, that did not translate to the cigar. What started as an average cigar went downhill – particularly in the final third. I really don’t enjoy what I call “herbal” notes in a cigar. That note became more dominant toward the end – and when combined with a bunch of muddled flavors, the flavoers became more blurred. Still, with a price point under $7.00, there might be value here. If the flavors I describe interest you, I would recommend trying a sample first and seeing if this is something you would enjoy more than I did.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Mocha, Dried Fruit, Pepper, Herbal Notes
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Minus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good