Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Doug from Dream Valley Cigar Company who gifted me a few Panacea Cigars. Panacea is defined as 1) a remedy for all disease or ills; cure-all or 2) an answer or solution for all problems or difficulties. Is this cigar a solution to relax and relieve those stressful problems? Is is a cure-all for that need to have a cigar?

According to the Panacea website, PANACEA Red was released in April of 2009, eighteen months after the launch of their first cigar. Their Red label cigars will be stronger than their Black label blends.  This Red label is a Habano/Maduro.  A Brazilian Maduro wrapper with a Dominican Habano binder. The interior is Seco Cubano, Ligero Piloto Cubano, Ligero Olor Dominicano, and Ligero Nicaragua.  The blend gives you a stronger PANACEA cigar, but maintains the smooth balance we are known for.  No bite, no harshness.  A full body, medium-strong in the strength department.  Mellow enough to enjoy mid-day, but can stand up to a steak dinner too.

Cigar: Panacea Red
Size: 6 x 52 (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Brazillian Maduro
Binder: Dominican Habano
Filler: Seco Cubano, Ligero Piloto Cubano, Ligero Olor Dominicano, and Ligero Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Twitter: @Panacea_Cigars

Panacea Red

Appearance and Construction: It seems to me that most Brazilian tobacco have character. This wrapper is no different as it has few prominent veins. The stick feels bumpy in ones hand with a lot of peaks and valleys under the fingers. However the cigar is well rolled where this does not effect the cigar. There are no soft spots but the foot seems loosely packed. The label is an oversized label but it remains simple which is well done.

Flavor & Notes: Before lighting up the cigar I put it through my pre-light ritual. The cold draw of the cigar had some earth notes with a slight nuttiness. The foot of the cigar offered up some earth and spice. Once lit the cigar started off with some roasted coffee notes with some wood and pepper through the nose. As the cigar approaches the second third it mellows out some in terms of strength but kicks it up a notch in terms of taste. The notes off coffee are joined by some caramel that adds to the experience. The final third of the cigar the strength kicks back up a notch with notes of coffee and earth.

Smoking Characteristics: The cigar had a slight jagged burn line but nothing that ever caused an alarm to go off and it was thin and crisp troughout. The ash was incredibly strong that held for more then half the cigar. It was dark gray in color with zero flake and it appeared to be incredibly smooth. The draw was slightly loose but acceptable. The smoke produced a pleasant aroma with espresso like qualities. Normally I have a hard time picking something like that up so it had to be pretty strong that I noticed it.

Conclusion: When I mentioned I was smoking this I got mixed reactions from the people on Twitter, but for me it turned out to be a well balanced cigar that was extremely enjoyable. In a week or so I will review another Panacea blend. If you enjoy a Brazilian wrapper this cigar is worth a shot.

Price: $32.00 a 5 pack a Dream Valley Cigar Company
Score: 88