I was recently gifted a vintage cigar. It's a 1985 Cabanas. I fired it up last night and the result are as follows:

Origin: Cuba

Age: 20 years

Size: Tres Petit Corona

Appearance: Very dark brown with black mottled areas.The wrapper felt of velvet...very soft. The cello was stained yellow. The band was also noticably yellowed.

Construction: It appeared a little rough. The cap was off slightly. it seemed to be a little underfilled. This could be due filler shrinks up during the aging process.

Pre-light: The cap cut cleanly without any flaw. The cigar smelled of musty earth. The pre-light draw was salty with a hint of leather.

Ash: The ash was dark grey to black. It was very firm. It held through half of the cigar. It had an even burn.

Smoke: It had thick volumes with every draw. It appearred to be heavy and lingering. It also had a brown look to it.

Taste: Well folks...Here is where the fun really started. The first third was a pepper bomb. When the smoke was blown out through the nose it was rock and roll. Although the pepper flavors were intense the Cuban twang was very evident. The second third became woody with a little perfume on the finish. The Cuban twang was still very evident. The last third started to pepper up again, but not as intense as the first third. The twang was still evident in the last third. The arouma of this cigar was salty...Similar to the arouma of an ERDM Choix Supreme.

Final impression: This was my first really old cigar. I really did not know what to expect. I had heard tobacco this old would be past it's prime. Well if this cigar was past it's prime, it would have been a real ass kicker in it's prime. This cigar was very strong and bold, not raw. It would satisfy as seasoned smoker but would possibly overwelm a novice. Every draw led to a new sensation. This cigar preformed like a champ. My bro has a few more of these. Wonder if I can trade him out of one more? I give this cigar 93 out of a 100 points. It's in the top five cigars I've ever smoked.