Flatbed Cigar Co. - Panacea Red 660PTS

As are many of you, I'm a huge fan of great customer service. Oddly enough, I've found that within the cigar industry, there are numerous cigar making companies and cigar selling businesses who offer some of the best customer service. In fact, I've noticed that customer service in the cigar industry tends to be heads above nearly all other industries.

However, even within the world of cigars, there are stand outs, and the Flatbed Cigar Company, owned by Paul Bush, is one of them. I contacted Paul a couple of months ago after hearing about his company on Puff.com. Surprisingly, he e-mailed me back within hours. I asked if he would mind sending out a few cigars for review since I was unable to find any samplers on his Web site. He immediately said he would, but then, I later e-mailed him (having found the samplers) and told him it wasn't necessary because I had purchased a couple of samplers and I would review them. He replied that he was sending the samples anyway and that I should enjoy them.

After I received the samples and my own samplers, I e-mailed Paul again and asked if he would mind doing an e-mail interview. He said he'd be happy to do that. So, I sent him my questions, and he promptly answered them. That particular interview will be published after this review, and I will also be reviewing the two other sample cigars that Paul sent.

Disclosure: The Panacea Red 660 in this review was a gift from Paul Bush of Flatbed Cigar Co. However, that does not affect the review in any way.

Cigar Facts:

Price - Free. However, on the Web site (www.flatbedcigarcompany.com), the Panacea Red 660 sells for about $7.00 per stick.

RH: 65% for 1 1/2 months

Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Brazilian
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Binder: Dominican Habano
Size: 6 x 60

Appearance and Construction:

The 660 sports a pig tail and shaggy foot at each end of its deep brown, semi-oily wrapper. There area  few veins on the stick, and the seams are clearly visible, but that doesn't take away from the ruggedly aesthetic craftsmanship that has gone into this cigar. Overall, it seems to be very well constructed. The entire stick is firm with no soft spots. It does have a few water droplet marks, slight tears around the foot, and a small patch across the shoulder and head.

Pre-light:

The pre-light aroma of this stick features both cigar tobacco and pipe tobacco. It's a very pleasant mixture and heightens my anticipation for smoking this cigar.

Smoking Characteristics:

I toasted the foot and lit the cigar with my trusty Ronson Jetlite at 2:40pm.  The initial draw is medium to tight with flavors of tobacco, oak, and cashew. There is a slight sweetness that is working its way into the mix. The burn is slightly wavy, but soon corrects itself and stays straight throughout the course of the smoke. The foot sports a nice half-inch ash that's dense and straight as a razor within about fifteen minutes. My retrohale amplifies the nuttiness of the cigar, and I really enjoy the slight oil from the wrapper on my lips. There is a slight pipe tobacco aftertaste that is not unpleasant at all.

Throughout the smoke, the Red produces continuous sinewy wisps of smoke as it sits between draws. After the first third, I have a nice dense and straight ash. There's a slight taste of maple that blends very nicely with the previously mentioned flavors. I've decided that this would be a nice smoke to take up to my Dad's farm and enjoy it on a good hike across his wooded property. This is a good solid cigar.

Halfway through the first third, there's a slight butternut cream flavor. The pipe tobacco aroma continues to be consistent. It's a very aromatic smell that lends itself to the idea of smoking this cigar in the fall or winter while out in the woods or other natural surroundings. By 3:05pm, I'm experiencing a slight earthiness and some nuances of cedar.

There is absolutely no harshness to this cigar at all. It's very smooth and well-blended. By this time, I have about a 1.5" ash and the butter cream flavor is becoming well pronounced.

At 3:15, I drop ash, which reveals a beautiful cone-shaped burn.

Halfway through the second third, the creaminess is still present, more defined pine, but the overall flavor profile has taken a step back. This was something I noticed when I smoked the Black 760. At the halfway point, the flavor seems to lose definition. There's a bit less smoke, and the draw has tightened. The pipe tobacco aroma maintains its presence.

I re-clipped the head at 3:24. That helped with the draw, and I noticed a new smokiness, somewhat reminiscent of smoked meat. This was mixed with a damp earthiness, somewhat like after a rain on a cool day. I'm very pleased that the creaminess of this stick is still balancing the other flavors. At this point, smoke production is probably about half of what it was to begin with.

Throughout the second-half of the smoke, there's been a very slight lemon zest aroma. It really complements the overall flavor profile and makes the smoke very pleasant to smell. There's even a subtle "bitter" lemon citrus flavor, however, it's not a bad thing. In fact, it's bitter in the same way that hops provides bitterness to beer. I'd probably pair this cigar with a good IPA to enhance this flavor. However, throughout the smoke, I kept thinking that it'd be really wonderful to have a cup of slightly sugared coffee while smoking this one.

The final third flavors have continued to be subtle, but very tasty. It's as if the cigar is teasing you, saying, "The flavors are here, but you can't have them all at once." It's very much like a woman flirting with a man. She teases, but never wholly gives everything away. The burn continues to be relatively straight. No tunneling or canoeing. Latent flavors sit on the tongue between draws and it begs for your attention in terms of how it gives you its flavor profile. Its as if the cigar expects you to pay attention to it for the entirety of the smoke.

I think Flatbed Cigar Company is evolving into a very good boutique cigar co. The Panacea line is on the verge of being excellent. I give it a huge plus on the smoothness. This has been the case with each Panacea I've smoked, as well. The description on the Web site places the Panacea Red 660 at a medium- to full-body level, but I would have to say that it sits at medium and rests quite comfortably there.

Finish: 4:00pm

Final Thoughts:

The Panacea Red 660 is a good, solid cigar. It gives you the feeling of a rustic setting, but teases you with beautifully blended hints of its flavor profile. It's very consistent throughout the smoke, and I personally think that this cigar would go very well with a nice hike in the woods with no distractions, because it forces you to really concentrate on what you're tasting.

Rating:

I give this cigar 4 out of 5 puffs and a "Very Good" rating. I'll definitely be purchasing this cigar in the future, and I'd suggest that any of you reading this review do the same.

Pair this stick with a good IPA or a steaming hot cup of sugared coffee. I'd shy away from it as a morning smoke simply due to the amount of time you'll need to dedicate to it.

That's all for now.