Panacea 658

With so many cigar producers out there it is hard to find anything new and genuine in the clutter of people rushing to market bad cigar to take advantage of the popularity that cigars have become. So, it is with great joy that I discovered a Panacea Green label in my humidor. Obviously, it was a stick obtained at last years trade show, that I was now just getting to. To start with I thoroughly enjoyed the smoke. So I was interested in who made this cigar.

Flatbed Cigar Company, based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, enjoys great tobacco tradition, dating back to 1765. Red Lion, PA (aka: Cigar Town, USA) at one time was producing 400 million hand rolled cigars a year. In addition to dozens of factories, many houses in town had rolling tables, where women made extra money rolling while their husbands were at work.

The name “Stogie” was coined in Conestoga, PA where inexpensive cigars were made for the drivers of the Conestoga wagons. Traveling from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, the Conestoga wagon drivers were envious of the fine cigars enjoyed by their affluent passengers. A cigar then, as it is today, was a luxury. Wagon drivers simply did not earn the wage necessary to indulge with any kind of frequency. So manufacturers in Conestoga, PA began making cigars in addition to their well know wagons, and pricing them for the drivers.

When I first looked at the cigar it was very formidable. I thought (hoped) this will be a nice smoke. It was firm but not dry and very veiny. HOnestly, it looked a little rustic to the eye. When reading about the heritage this makes sense. The cigar punched and lit without any trouble at all. It produced a nice earthy aroma and a pleasant volume of smoke.

The cigar was reasonably well constructed. It had a nice open draw and stayed lit for it’s entire hour and a half smoke. The edge was nice but slightly uneven. This did not detract at all from my enjoyment of an altogether wonderful cigar.

Taste was nice. At the outset there was a little bit of cedar, but more coffee and cream. The cigar smoked cool throughout. The second third added a slight nuttiness as the cedar faded away. There were also flavors of nutmeg and cinnamon present. As the cigar drew to a close ther was a very mild undertone of ppper and spice. All in all I would call this a medium or ‘lunch’ cigar. Thre was a slightly peppery aftertaste at the end of the smoke, but it didn’t linger and was not unpleasant.

AT around $7.50 this is a nice value. For an hour and a half you will enjoy a very nice smoke indeed. Way to go Pennsylvania.