avantgrade purchased this cigar on 2009-09-09.
It has about 10 years of additional aging.
The cigar lights up with ease, and the burn is effortlessly maintained. Initial, pre-light flavors come through with some sweet spiciness in typical Nicaraguan fashion. The flavors are simple, those of cedar and nuts.
I think it is worthwhile to mention some of the background of this cigar. Swisher International abandoned their handmade premium cigar segment in the late 1990s. I picked up a bundle from JR Cigars, and these should be right around 10 years old. The bands are nothing to write home about, simply stating that this is a Sabroso cigar (nothing ornate at all). Granted, these aren't super premium, but they are nicely aged cigars with a beautiful oily sheen.
Originally, the Sabroso cigars performed (or at least were intended to) in the medium-full body levels. Given the first 1/3 of the cigar, these are definitely mild. 10 years of sitting in the warehouse has allowed the tobacco to mellow out and to deliver fairly consistent flavors throughout the cigar. Light flavors of wood are complemented by sweet spiciness, the smoke is plentiful (as the draw became more smooth when compared to the initial lighting), and the burn line sharp.
As I burn through the second 1/3, the cigar ashes once about every inch. The smoke is fairly cool, which may be due to the length of the cigar. Nothing too complex in terms of flavor, but a nice, mellow combination of wood and slight sweetness, reminiscent more of mild tobacco.
As the length of the cigar shortens up, it begins to burn a little hot, requiring more time in between puffs to bring out flavor instead of bitterness. The burn line is still staying true, and notes of toast and black pepper spark up more often, all the way to the nub.
There was something simple, yet special about this cigar. Maybe it's the 10 years of sitting in a warehouse, the mellow flavors, maybe it's the price, or knowing that this was made by a tobacco giant in the 1990s... maybe it's the combination of all of the above, but all I know that I really enjoyed it.