La Escepcion 'Series IV'

Today I'm smoking my first La Escepcion 'Series IV' 2003 Tapa Negra. What a ridicolously long name.

http://www.jrcigar.com/graphics/bfp/le4/LE45.jpg
Lonsdale
Size: 6 3/4 x 42
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra & Conn Broadleaf
Filler: Honduras, Nic, Dom
Binder: Honduras

I recieved this in my Newb Sampler 3 months ago.

This is the first I've heard of these. It's wrapped in a sun-grown Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper with a strip of Oscuro Connecticut Broadleaf added to both the head and foot. The appearance was a little lumpy, but still a beautiful cigar.

Cutting and lighting were no problem. Shortly after lighting, I had to leave the cigar for 5-10 minutes. When I returned it was trying to go out, then did. After relighting, this cigar tasted 2x better. Strange. Seems like I've read this happening in another review. Another thing, I read the relighting tips thread from not too long ago and tried to do the same thing with matches, and it works! Just put the flame up there, blow on it for a bit and it relights with no harshness.

I would label this medium bodied. This thing puts off alot of smoke. Burn was, for the most part, even. No need for touching up. It's a fairly smooth smoke with hints of spice. Ash only held for 1/4" at a time. This would be a great everyday cigar, if you can find them, for the price and for the quality.

Overall an average smoke. Nothing complex or outstanding, but a good everyday cigar in the $2-4 range.

I could not find these cigars for sale anywhere. The only place I saw where they were listed was JR's and they only had the Series V and VI. It was there that I read "The only truly "limited production" premium cigar I know of other than the Fuente Opus X. Each series contains only 150,000 meticulously crafted cigars from Villazon's Cofradia factory." This might have something to do with it.

http://www.jrcigar.com/index.cfm?page=deals_bfp_le4

They are an extention the the Hoyo de Monterey carried by JR Cigar. I have some of every series made . They were very good cigars,nothing more . I really dig the series III

The series III were definitely better, too bad I smoked all that I had.

The Tapa Negra came from the Mantequilla cigar line and very soon afterwards the Series IV came out for the La Escepcion. I personally like all of the series, but the IV was my least favorite so far. I always felt that the maduro foot wasn't long enough to make a big difference, and the head was also too short. JR claimed the head was only for chomping and mouth feel that the broadleaf provides, because the thinner more delicate wrapper was more likely to tear.

I think it's all BS and it just looks neat. I went through 2-3 boxes of the IV when they came out because they had a weekly special for about $50 a box, which is a good price range for these smokes.