Sinistro Cigars Habana Viejo Scala LE

📌 Brand: Sinistro Cigars
📌 Line: Habana Viejo Scala (Limited Edition)
📌 Size: Figurado (51/2" × 38/60)
📌 Weight:14.3 g
📌 Age: 5 years
📌 Origin: Dominican Republic

Tasting Notes

• Light Cocoa – Soft, muted sweetness

• Dry Cedar – Simple, linear wood note

• White Pepper – Faint and fleeting

• Paper-Dry Finish – Becomes noticeable after corrections

First Impressions

The Scala LE presents a tidy roll with an attractive Habano wrapper, though firmness feels slightly inconsistent along the body. Pre-light aroma offers mild cocoa and cedar. Cold draw is open but lacks depth, hinting at a restrained profile.

Smoking Experience

• First Third – Opens mild with cocoa and cedar. Burn starts uneven and needs an early touch-up.

• Second Third – Profile remains bland and one-dimensional. Smoke output is fine, but flavor concentration never builds. Additional corrections interrupt the flow.

• Final Third – Dry wood and faint pepper dominate. Burn continues to misbehave, requiring multiple touch-ups to reach the end.

Pairings

• Alcohol – Kavalan Distillery Select No.1 Single Malt - Tropical fruit sweetness and soft oak add interest and body where the cigar falls flat.

• Tea – China Guangxi Liu Bao Dark Tea - Earthy, mellow, and low-tannin — chosen to soften dryness and reset the palate after repeated corrections.

Music Pairing

“Open Eye Signal” – Jon Hopkins
Spacious, restrained textures fitting a cigar that never quite takes off.

Final Thoughts

Sinistro Habana Viejo Scala LE looks promising but delivers a bland, underwhelming profile. Frequent burn corrections disrupt rhythm and further flatten an already muted experience.

Final Score: 5/10
Why not a 10?
Bland flavor delivery combined with repeated burn corrections prevented balance, evolution, and enjoyment.

Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction and satisfaction get a 10.