My Weekend Cigar Review: El Rey del Mundo Shade Grown
VIDEO CIGAR REVIEW: EL REY DEL MUNDO SHADE GROWN TORO
New “King of the World” Cigar Flaunts All-Honduran Couture
Released in July of this year, El Rey del Mundo “Shade Grown” launched with two full-time sizes and a third, very limited edition Lonsdale vitola. What makes the El Rey del Mundo Shade Grown selection special is the cigars are Honduran puros rolled in mellow Connecticut-seed wrappers that are shade grown in Honduras’s Talanga Valley—a first for the brand.
“With Shade Grown we are expanding the brand’s range with an everyday smoke that delivers on its promise of complexity,” said El Rey del Mundo Assistant brand manager, Cory Beardsley. “This is a satisfying, anytime smoke and we’re looking forward to sharing it with premium cigar enthusiasts across the country.”
Cigar Details:
Factory: HATSA – Danlí, Honduras
Size: 6”x 52
Body & Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade (Honduras)
Binder: Jamastran (Honduras)
Filler: Copan and Jamastran (Honduras)
Presented in boxes of 20
El Rey Del Mundo Shade Grown Cigar Review
Since the wrapper is a first for the brand, let’s start there. The Talanga-grown capa is silky, even in color, seamlessly rolled, textbook capped, and I saw no protruding veins. When sniffed, the wrapper had a sweet grassy aroma. After clipping, the draw was excellent and offered a cashew-like nuttiness and a hint of salt.
Once lit the cigar starts off with a dense but smooth helping of charred, earthy smoke and a little sweetness from the wrapper. Nuts and sweet tobacco rode over a more dominant layer of earthy spice. So far, it was well rounded and offered a pleasant aroma. I decided to time my draws with up to two minute pauses which helped maintain the smoothness and nutty-earthy taste. Both of my samples also burned well, revealing long, firm ashes. Here is where the body and strength “medium” as it gets.
At about halfway in, the flavors were better defined. Some subtle sweetness remained as a woody note joined the mix. At this stage, the cigar chugged along smoothly with good balance and a little more complexity.
In the final act, earthy spice took center stage. The smoke was still creamy-smooth, but the nuts, wood, and sweetness were, as they say, more “nuanced.” Also impressive was how the cigar maintained its medium body and strength at under two inches, which is where I left it.
Was El Rey Del Mundo Shade Grown Weekend Worthy?
If you follow me, you probably know that I’ve been a fan of Honduran tobacco for a long time. I like how well it blends with other tobaccos and some of my favorites are puros like this El Rey Del Mundo Shade Grown. It’s another fine example of how tobacco seeds native to other countries can thrive in Honduras. Based on my limited experience with Honduran Connecticut shade wrapper, this leaf seemed to have an earthier quality. Both of my Toro samples checked all of the top performance boxes, but I would’ve preferred a sweeter smoke. That aside, thanks to its well under $10 price point, smoothness, and medium body I agree with Mr. Beardsley above, that this Shade Grown selection is “a satisfying, anytime smoke.” This ERDM Shade Grown should appeal to most palates, too. It’s also another fine example of what the master can do with prime Honduran leaf.
If you’ve already had an experience with this cigar, please share your thoughts with a comment.