Las 6 Provincias ORT by Espinosa Cigars Review — Las 6 Provincias ORT by Espinosa Cigars

Today, we review the Las 6 Provincias ORT by Espinosa Cigars. It was at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show that Espinosa Cigars unveiled the ZDT. The ORT is the sixth installment of its limited-edition Las 6 Provincias series. This annual, limited-edition series pays homage to the pre-Castro era of Cuba. The name Las 6 Provincias translates to “six provinces,” referring to the six provinces that existed prior to Cuba’s takeover by Fidel Castro. It is also Espinosa Cigars’ most premium limited edition series to date. The company has six planned Las 6 Provincias series releases, each with a unique blend, size, and associated artwork. The name ORT represents Oriente, the easternmost province in Cuba.

The following are the installments of the limited edition Las 6 Provincias series:

2018: Las 6 Provincias LHB (La Habana)
2019: Las 6 Provincias MTZ (Matanzas)
2021: Las 6 Provincias LV (Las Villas)
2022: Las 6 Provincias CMW (Camagüey)
2023: Las 6 Provincias ZDT (Pinar del Rio/Zona de Tabaco)
2024: Las 6 Provincias ORT (Oriente)

While it appears the series is complete with a cigar released for each of the six provinces, Espinosa Cigars has not said they shut the door on Las 6 Provincias. Possibilities still exist for future releases and/or other sizes of the blends.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Las 6 Provincias ORT and see what this cigar brings to the table:

Las 6 Provincias ORT by Espinosa Cigars – Cigar Review

Blend and Origin

A hybrid Ecuadorian Habano wrapper highlights Las 6 Provincias ORT. The remainder of the tobaccos are Nicaraguan. The cigar was blended by Hector Alfonso of Espinosa Cigars and rolled at the San Lotano factory in Ocotal, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Hybrid
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: San Lotano

Vitolas Offered

Las 6 Provincias comes in one size – a 6 x 56 box-pressed. A total of 1,000 20-count boxes were released.

Appearance

The hybrid Habano wrapper of Las 6 Provincias ORT had a caramel-colored appearance. On the surface of the wrapper were some light oils. There were a few visible veins, and any wrapper seams present were on the thin side. As for the box-press, this was a slightly soft Cuban-press style.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Las 6 Provincias ORT. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw was on the sweet side, but it was a very natural sweetness. This draw delivered notes of sweet mixed fruit and cedar. While I usually don’t like a lot of sweetness in a pre-light draw, this was more than satisfactory. At this point, it was time to remove the footer ribbon, toast up the Las 6 Provincias ORT and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Las 6 Provincias ORT opened up with more notes of sweet fruit and cedar, but this time there were also notes of toast and natural tobacco in the equation. The natural tobacco and fruit notes took center stage early on. Both the natural tobacco and fruit loosely complemented each other nicely. Meanwhile, the cedar and toast settled in the background. This was soon joined by a subtle note of white pepper in the background. The white pepper also surfaced as the primary note, not her retro-hale.

As the Las 6 Provincias ORT entered the second third, the cedar notes replaced the fruit notes in the forefront. The fruit notes settled in the background, complemented by the pepper notes. The toast notes dissipated, replaced by a mineral note. At this point, the primary notes were tobacco and cedar, while pepper, mineral, and fruit were the secondary notes.

During the final third, the natural tobacco and cedar were primary, with a slight edge to the cedar. The pepper and mineral notes were more prominent in the background. Meanwhile, the fruit notes added touches of sweetness but seemed a little muddled with the other notes. This is the way the Las 6 Provincias ORT came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

Overall, the Las 6 Provincias ORT delivered an excellent burn. The cigar maintained a straight burn path with a straight burn line. This was a cigar that required minimal touch-ups. The resulting ash was silver-gray. Although there were some flakes, this didn’t prove to be a problem. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

Draw

The draw of the Las 6 Provincias ORT cigar was impressive. It had a nice touch of resistance, which I appreciated. Specifically, I was glad that the box-press provided a slight amount of resistance instead of being too easy to open. Happily, it was a low-maintenance cigar that offered rich flavors effortlessly.

Strength and Body

There was a nice amount of boldness with the Las 6 Provincias ORT. This was a cigar that started with medium to full strength and medium to full-bodied flavors. There was a nominal increase in strength and body, but ultimately, the cigar remained in the medium to full range for both attributes.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

I’ve been saying this many times. Erik Espinosa Jr is becoming one of the best guys in the business when it comes to packaging. He has knocked it out of the park with each release of Las 6 Provincias, and ORT is no exception. I love the upright box design with the cigars standing up. As with all Las 6 Provincias releases, Espinosa Jr brought in local Cuban artist Edin Gutierrez. The painting used in the body shines here.

Las 6 Provincias ORT Review — Packaging of the Las 6 Provincias ORT

The double band design is similar to its predecessors, but in this case, green is the primary color, and the name “ORT” is featured on it. For a project that has seemed to focus on classic Cuba, the colors are quite modern in style. The green color falls into this category. One note: the bands of the Las 6 Provincias have been quite challenging to remove, and unfortunately, the ORT falls into that category.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Las 6 Provincias is a solid, limited-edition series as they come. I wouldn’t categorize them as Cubanesque, as they seem to be more “Espinosaesque.” With Las 6 Provincias ORT, this was perhaps the most Espinosaesque of all of them. In other words, this one smoked more in the classic vibe of an Espinosa cigar than I’ve had with the others. The second half of this smoke will give you that Espinosa bite that has become the signature of the line. While there were some more interesting installments of Las 6 Provincias, the ORT is still quite good. It’s a cigar I would probably steer to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast. As for myself, it’s a cigar I would buy and smoke again. Coming in at 90 points, Las 6 Provincias ORT earns the Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Fruit, Toast, Mineral, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Very Good