Don Duarte cigars are made by Nestor Placensia for Roger Duarte, a Nicaraguan born lawyer who worked in the cigar industry as a consultant for several important names before he decided to release his own brand of cigars which he blended with Evelio Oviedo. The cigars are Nicaraguan puros. I had the pleasure of meeting Don Roger Duarte in Amsterdam where he handed me a few of his cigars to review.
The Don Duarte classico blend golden is the mildest blend from the series. I smoked the shorty, which is a petit corona measuring 4½x46 with a beautiful, light colored, dry looking wrapper with a few veins. The construction feels good and I smell dry wood. The predraw is great and I taste spicy and peppery tobacco.
I taste coffee with spicy herbs and pepper. Soon I also taste a mild sweetness on the background. After a quarter of an inch I taste some nutmeg, quite some sweetness, lots of wood and some pepper on the background. After a third I taste wood, grass and some sweetness, the cigar is mild spicy.
Halfway I taste wood, nutmeg and herbs. After two thirds I taste more spices like nutmeg, some cinnamon and more spices that I can't really recognize.
This cigar lasted me for an hour exactly. The draw was great and I got a lot of thick smoke. The light colored as is reasonably firm. This cigar is medium bodied and full flavored.
Would I buy this cigar again? Probably yes
Appearance: 7 / 10
Construction: 7 / 10
Draw: 8 / 10
Burn: 7 / 10
Smoke & ash: 8 / 10
Aroma first part: 8 / 10
Aroma second part: 7 / 10
Aroma third part: 7 / 10