Brand: Panacea Maduro
Vitola: Robusto
Ring Guage: 50
Length: 5.00
Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Price Point: Unknown

Brand:
Panecea cigars are a product of Flatbed Cigar Company, headed up by Paul Bush. The cigars are crafted in the Dominican Republic and distributed out of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

The Panacea line is available in two formats which include a Maduro and Natural. Both blends sport a Cuban Seed Seco, Ligero, Olor Dominicano, and Nicaraguan blend of tobaccos to make up the filler. The binder is made up of Dominican leaf while the wrappers are Brazilian maduro and Connecticut shade.

Pre-Light:

Before lighting my Panacea Maduro, I give it a looking over. The first thing I notice is the consistent color of the Brazilian maduro wrapper. When held to the light I can see a nice oily sheen and two medium sized veins. The veins run across one wrapping of the wrapper leaf and add a lumpy texture to the cigar when handled.

When pinched down the length of the stick, the filler tobacco felt firm and evenly packed. There was a single soft spot just below the band but it did not feel large enough to be concerned about. After opening the head of the cigar, I found the cold draw to have lots of cedar flavor while exhibiting a fairly loose draw.

First Third:

After my toasting and lighting ritual was complete, I took a puff on my Panacea Maduro. That first puff did not produce very much smoke, this came as a surprise due to the free pre light draw. I toasted the foot a touch more and gave it another try. This time the smoke volume increased dramatically and I was in business.

As I worked my way through the first third of this cigar, the body came across as medium with a creamy finish up-front. As the creaminess faded I was left with a mild acidic feeling on the soft portion of my palate.

The aroma of spanish cedar, which was rich on the cold draw, came through nicely in the smoke. This flavor was secondary to a taste of dark roasted coffee and nuts. When the smoke was passed through the sinuses, I found it to be very aromatic and pleasant.

The burning characteristics of this smoke were pleasing. The burn line was thin and even while producing a light volume of resting smoke. The burn rate seemed on par with a cigar of this size while the draw produced loads of dense smoke. While the draw was generous with smoke, my only complaint thus far is that it is a bit free for my taste.

Second Third:

After roughly forty-five minutes of smoking, I reached the second third of my Panacea Maduro. Coming into the second third, the body did not make much of a progression beyond medium. While I could tell it was building, I wouldn’t classify it as medium-full. The finish was smooth and creamy while still leaving a slight acidic feel on the softer palate.

In the flavor department, the rich spanish cedar flavor that was seated in the background has slowly become sweet and progressively gotten richer. The roasted coffee and nut flavor ha taken the opposite route and become darker and richer. While this transformation was taking place I began to notice a nice leathery favor quickly coming into play.

The burn rate felt as though it was on par with other cigars of this size and shape. The burn line was even and produced a dark, then ring around the foot of the cigar. The draw remained a bit free for my taste but continued to dump loads of smoke with each and every puff. The smoke was easily passed through the sinuses, leaving a rich aromatic feel.

Final Third:

After nearly an hour and a half, I removed the band on my Panacea Maduro and got down to the last bit of the final third. The body continued to build slightly but never exceeded the medium spectrum. The finish remained smooth and creamy on the palate up-front then left me with a mild acid feel on the softer portion of the palate.

In terms of favors, there hasn’t been any change in regards to defined favors. Each of the flavors in the second third have developed and became richer and more complex. As the cigar burns away and becomes not much more than a nub, it begins to get warm on the fingers. In turn, this creates a minor harshness that quickly goes away as the cigar cools.

The burning characteristics of this cigar have been stellar from start to finish. The burn line is thin and even while producing loads of dense smoke with each puff. The resting smoke is fairly light and doesn’t seem to leave any sort of offensive aroma in the air.

Final Thoughts:
Overall I was very pleased with this cigar. It had a nice medium body with plenty of interesting flavor. As a result I could certainly see myself smoking this cigar during many portions of the day. The smoke isn’t too much for an afternoon cigar or too mild for an evening smoke.

Having not seen this cigar in any of my local shops, I’m not sure what the price point is. If I were to select a number that I was comfortable playing, I would say $5.00 to $6.00 is definitely fair. If I am correct, I’ll definitely be picking these up whenever I come across them. If you are into medium bodied cigars with lots of flavor and aroma, I would suggest giving one a try.

MP3 Version: Right Click > Save As