Nutritional Facts:

Size: 6 x 52

Shape:Torpedo

Wrapper: Ecuadorian

Binder: Ecuadorian

Filler: Brazil, Dom. Republic, Nicaragua.

Price: $148.99 for box of 25 at TexCigars.com

This little number was given to me by a friend at Tex Cigars. And to swtich things up a bit, I had the honor of smoking this bad boy with my friend whose temporary code name will be “Agent G”. First, a little background about the PIO Overture 1996 No. 2 provided by Tex Cigars.

The PIO Overture 1996 No. 2 is a surprise. This beatifully made torpedo is 6″ long by 52 ring gauge. The filler is from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua, the binder is from Ecuador, and all this is completed by a beautiful 12 year old wrapper from Ecuador. Black pepper, citrus, chocolate, and floral sweetness make the PIO Overture No. 2 a gem to enjoy.

These cigars just recently got off and running due to a trademark lawsuit against the PIO VI owners. Now with full right to the title, PIO is another up-and-coming cigar within the industry. Let’s see how it fairs with the reviews.

Agent “G”:

AGENT-G, Cigar Review

PIO VI - 03/14/09 Tasting Room, Monona, WI

A bright sunny day, one of the first true warm-ups to pre-spring! It was a great day to be with friends and review the PIO-VI.

The afternoon stayed sunny and warm, unfortunately the PIO-VI did not hold up its end of the bargain. A nice looking stick with adequate draw, however, it lacked in taste and at times left an acrid note on the palate. This is not to say that it did not have flavor and if you like woody with a touch of occasional leather, then maybe this stick is for your humi.

All the initial basics lead you to believe that you may have a good one in hand. Its construction and color was good. Smoke volume nice and my stick had a nice even burn that supported the ash, although a touch flakey. Not totally seamless in wrapper, but pleasant looking none-the-less.

The first third produced an initial kick of a slight peppery spice, which quickly developed into the woodland flavor. I tried to remain hopeful since the burn was nice and the ash holding well, but alas the second third produced even less than the first, developing into nothing. Looking at my friend and cigar aficionado, I was wondering if he was experiencing the same disappointment. Alas, he was and his stick showed more extreme flakiness with the ash.

At the beginning of the bottom third is when the acridity burst upon the front half of my tongue. Fortunately it was brief and returned to its wood trait with lack of finish, which remained for most of the bottom third when the stick, mercifully went out.

Obviously this in not one for my palate, but I will try it again as I want to give every cigar a chance to redeem itself, should it be necessary. However, next time I will call Ewell Gibbons to join me for the PIO-VI, as he may enjoy the woodland experience.

Strength: mild-medium

Agent 10:

Appearance/Construction: This cigar had a great appearance, with a tight blemish-free wrapper and only one medium sized vein running its length. The construction was great with no hard of soft spots and a perfect torpedo shaped cap. The draw was a bit harder than I would have liked, but I was able to deal with it. The ash was EXTREMELY flaky on this cigar. I think more ash fell on the bar in front of me than in the ashtray.

Flavors: This cigar started with a hit of spice (black pepper) and slight woodiness coupled with a medium body. Half way through the first third the cigar significantly mellowed out to the mild body range. The spice dissipated entirely and the woodiness flavor was negligible. The taste was of simple tobacco, and no finish whatsoever. By the end of the first third, an acrid flavor was dominant. Unfortunately, this was the dominant flavor that continued throughout the cigar, in varied amounts. Wafts of woodiness came in and out, but were mostly undetectable under the harsh taste.

Overall: While this stick looks nice, the flavor behind it was certainly lacking. The ash didn’t hold and the body was disappointing. I would not recommend this cigar, unless you enjoy acrid tastes.

I want to thank Tex Cigars for again providing the cigars, for my honorary agent of the day, “Agent G”, the rest of the spy family Agents 6 and 8, and of course, our fearless leader Agent 15 for keeping our HQ up and running!

Until next time everyone,

Happy Smoking!

-10