Flor de Selva “Grand Pressé” Cigar Review

I thought it apropos that I bring one of my Maya Selva cigars on my visit to Paris this past couple of weeks. I chose to smoke this fine specimen of cigar as I enjoyed my weekend off from work while touring the City of Lights. The Flor de Selva Grand Pressé is an extension to the Flor de Selva Maduro line and is available in only one vitola – 6 x 56 box-pressed toro gordo.

The blend according to the Maya Selva is:

Wrapper: Honduran habano
Binder: Brazilian mata fina
Filler: Honduran

The Flor de Selva Grand Pressé is priced just under $12.00 USD per cigar and is packaged in 10 count boxes.

Cigar Review Notes

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Terrific dark brown marbled maduro wrapper
Soft box press with minimal veins
The band is simple in design with an accompanying footer band
Pre-light offers a tea aroma with a touch of cocoa
Cold draw is just to my liking – slight earth and pepper, with a little vegetal
The first few puffs gave a mild nasal burn of pepper
There is a hard to describe spice component running through
The vegetal flavor mixes in early
The pepper fades quickly and an ultra smooth smoke evolves
The ash is medium grey ash resting on a thin eyeliner dark burn line
Chocolate notes enter after an inch enticing my back teeth
Decent burn cone
A sweet aroma develops that blends well with the parfum of the Parisian ladies that pass me by
The chocolate is taking on a slight bitter component like dry cocoa powder
Flavors have blended well by end of second third
The early spice picks up in final third
Finishes with touch of fruit

Overall the Maya Selva Flor de Selva Grand Pressé was a terrific cigar that I enjoyed in the Parisian noon day sun. The burn was perfect and the draw excellent. The smoke was full with delicious flavor transitions. I have to say it paired very well with the Guinness I was enjoying outside the Galway Irish pub just a few meters from Notre Dame Cathedral along the river Seine.