Review: 5 Vegas Series A

matthewjmichael

Original Post Here

Size: Robusto, 5.5×55 (Apotheosis, Box Pressed)

Wrapper: Costa Rican, Maduro

Filler: Mixed long filler of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran (Aged 4 years)

Strength: Full

Price: Box of 10, $45.00

Grade: 8.7

Being a fan of the 5 Vegas Classic and Gold Double Nickel, I was really looking forward to trying out the full bodied offering from 5 Vegas (You may see my review on the Gold here). The Series A comes in an amazing 9 different shapes; ring gauges range from 44 to 58 and the length from 4.5 to 7. I grabbed these sticks from cigarbid.com at a great price and they’ve been resting for a few months; so let’s get to it!

Appearance 1.8:
The box press on this smoke is very nice and, coupled with the dark oily wrapper, it really is appealing to the eye. The cigar was firm to the touch and besides a little filler extending past the wrapper, it was perfect in construction. The black and gold label is a wonderful combo with the dark maduro wrapper. The pre-light aroma was of mocha and leather with some barnyard notes toward the foot. The cold draw produced notes of sweet tobacco with a cinnamon spice on the end.  By now my mouth was watering and I was ready to fire this stick up!

Burn, 1.7:
The Series A cut, toasted, and lit well, with the first draw producing a nice amount of fragrant smoke. The smoke burned evenly throughout with no touch ups or re-lights required. The deduction in this category is a result of the ash not holding longer than about ½ inch. This corrected itself towards the end of the smoke but for the first half it was constantly falling off and this resulted in a somewhat warmer smoke than I expected.

Flavor, 2.5:
Roasted nuts and coffee really hit me on the first draw of this smoke. I expected a shot of spice because of the pre-light draw, but it never showed up. The first third was very tasteful with notes of roasted nuts and cocoa; there was a hint of spice on the end but not cinnamon—it was more of a roasted pepper spice.  The second third produced more notes of the mentioned spice, but the cigar soured a little bit in this part which was disappointing. The last third of the smoke opened back up into notes resembling the first third, but with some fruitiness showing up on the finish. I should also mention this is a full bodied smoke.

Overall, 2.7:
At a price of $4.50 a stick, this is a good buy for the money.  Though not the most complex stogie on the market, it would be a great everyday smoke for those that seek out full bodied offerings. The flavor profile was interesting and, if not for the second third, it would have been excellent. All in all I’ve liked every 5 Vegas smoke I have ever had; this is a good smoke for a good price, which is what we are all looking for, right?

(Total: 8.7)

kuzi16

i usually got a bit of wood out of this as well.

good smoke. theres almost always a few in the humidor.

MAJORdorMo

I've had 2 in Anomaly size, and both of them had horrible draws and constantly needed relights. I think I'll get my hands on the robusto soon enough.

jeff_connors

kuzi16:

i usually got a bit of wood out of this as well.

good smoke. theres almost always a few in the humidor.

Ok first off...."that's what she said"
secondly really enjoy this smoke, this is my gift smoke to non smokers, Iv had one bad one out of about 30

TatuajeVI

jeff_connors:

kuzi16:

i usually got a bit of wood out of this as well.

good smoke. theres almost always a few in the humidor.

Ok first off...."that's what she said"
secondly really enjoy this smoke, this is my gift smoke to non smokers, Iv had one bad one out of about 30

HAHA! Nice.
I've got 5 or so in the humidor. These are a wonderful, and amazingly cheap every day cigar that doubles as a great treat.

jsnake

I am eyeballing these too but I want to try a Relic first. Well I guess it just depends on what I get my hands on first.

jeff_connors

try both, they are both great!...only think iv tired from 5 vegas that was not super amazing was the Miami

matthewjmichael

jeff_connors:

kuzi16:

i usually got a bit of wood out of this as well.

good smoke. theres almost always a few in the humidor.

Ok first off...."that's what she said"
secondly really enjoy this smoke, this is my gift smoke to non smokers, Iv had one bad one out of about 30

Thank you for this...I totally needed that to start my day off!

TatuajeVI

jeff_connors:

try both, they are both great!...only think iv tired from 5 vegas that was not super amazing was the Miami

I about spit my drink out. You need to give the Miami another try. It is my favorite of the 5 Vegas - and I love pretty much everything from 5 Vegas. Let em rest for a month or so. I bought a few in early August that are going to saved for a year or two and see how the flavor changes.

jeff_connors

Yeh i will have give them another try,there where young out of the humidor and tasted a little harsh..

bobd

While I enjoyed the flavor of the A, I unfortuneatly had to put it down about half way because the draw was unbearably tight.  My head and mouth hurt from drawing on the darn thing.  I have 5 more so I am going to let them sit for a while and try again.  It looks like a cigar that I should enjoy, so I will give it a second chance.