The Serino Prominente is billed by the company as its finest cigar yet, and the spec sheet backs the claim. A AAA grade Havana seed wrapper covers a four-tobacco filler of AAA Nicaraguan Corojo '99, AAA Criollo '98 and two undisclosed Caribbean leaves, all of them seven-year-aged and taken from only the highest primings. The cigars are rolled Cuban-style entubado by the factory's top four torcedores, then aged another 15 months before release, and the stately 7 5/8 x 49 Prominente gives that work all the room it needs.
The flavor is unmistakably fine aged tobacco — rich, smooth-bodied, and complex without ever getting loud. Cinnamon and cacao come through clearly against a base of oak, and the four-tobacco filler keeps the whole thing well-rounded from the opening draw to the last inch.
Serino is a boutique small-batch maker working with Cuban master blender Omar Gonzalez-Aleman and sourcing from family farms in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, and these are made in limited batches available only to Serino customers — shipped naked and uncellophaned with a factory-style ribbon. Set aside a long evening, pour something aged, and let a Double Corona do what only a Double Corona can. This five-pack is the best way to get acquainted.
