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DaBear · 01-26-2013, 11:09 AM

Aesthetics: 2/5
This ain't a pretty cigar by any means, lots of knots, and a couple prominent veins. The big thing is this looks like the top inch and a half of the stick was dipped in a very thin pectin. It really just does not look attractive at all, and from what I could see its the same with the other two samples. You can see the discoloration on the picture here.

Pre-light Construction: 4/5
There's a couple soft spots on the stick, but the cap comes off cleanly and the draw is good. Prelight draw gives me licorice. A light tobacco scent on the foot. The wrapper really lacks any aroma at all.

Post-light Construction/How it smoked: 3.5/5
Burn starts off a bit uneven, but its straightening itself out. Into the second third the burn just doesn't want to straighten out, but its nowhere near as bad as the D sample. One thing I do notice is it is burning real fast compared to the other two. I got about 90 minutes out of both C and D, but this one I'll feel lucky to get over 70 minutes with. The burn has found a way to straighten out luckily here at the halfway mark.

First Third: 4.5/5

Initial light greets me with graham cracker, that backs off and leaves a rosemary like spice. Its reminding me a bit of my mom's rosemary potatos(olive oil, black peper, and rosemary, plus the obvious potatos cut into roughly steak cut fries and baked in the oven). The rosemary then backs off and leaves just black pepper. Not a bad way to start at all. A light sweetness is working its way in toward the end of the first third.

Second Third: 4/5

The sweetness has stopped working its way in and the flavors seem to be settling on a peppered steak. I don't know who makes this stick, but its good. I can say for sure its not a DPG or a Jaime as the spice is very different from what I get from them. The spice changes at the halfway mark into something I can't put my finger on, but its nowhere near as good as the black pepper I was getting. Luckily that weird spice is short lived as the graham cracker works its way back in. I would say this one might be an AJ blend or possibly a Gran Habano from the profile.

Final Third: 3.5/5

Everything becomes rather subdued into the final third, with a dry earth moving its way in. The cigar is also getting a bit hot. The graham cracker is coming back yet again, though it is a bit sweeter than it had been earlier. That weird spice I got earlier is coming back into play as I get to the nub. I put it down a bit early as the stick is getting a bit too hot and harsh for me

Aftertaste/Finish: 3.7/5
The graham cracker I got on the initial light is proving quite prominent in the finish, though a little bit of the black pepper is hanging around. The black pepper becomes more prominent in the second third. The finish is just like I took a spoonful of black pepper here toward the final third. Into the final third the black pepper backs off almost completely, leaving just a light sweetness.

Aroma: 3.5/5
A bit more pungent an aroma than the C or D samples, but not off putting by any means.

General Comments:
Overall a solid stick. In the $7-$8 price range its worth the money, wouldn't go too much more than that. There was a bit of complexity to the stick but it was fairly 2 dimensional, just shifting between the graham cracker and black pepper almost the whole way through.

Overall score for the cigar: 4/5

Recommendation:
Recommend, though only for those who like a good dose of pepper.

01-26-2013, 11:09 AM	#2
DaBear Have My Own Room Join Date: Sep 2010 First Name: Bear Location: Raleigh, NC(NC State) Posts: 2,010 Trading: (26)	Re: Robusto "A" Reviews/Discussion Aesthetics: 2/5 This ain't a pretty cigar by any means, lots of knots, and a couple prominent veins. The big thing is this looks like the top inch and a half of the stick was dipped in a very thin pectin. It really just does not look attractive at all, and from what I could see its the same with the other two samples. You can see the discoloration on the picture here. Pre-light Construction: 4/5 There's a couple soft spots on the stick, but the cap comes off cleanly and the draw is good. Prelight draw gives me licorice. A light tobacco scent on the foot. The wrapper really lacks any aroma at all. Post-light Construction/How it smoked: 3.5/5 Burn starts off a bit uneven, but its straightening itself out. Into the second third the burn just doesn't want to straighten out, but its nowhere near as bad as the D sample. One thing I do notice is it is burning real fast compared to the other two. I got about 90 minutes out of both C and D, but this one I'll feel lucky to get over 70 minutes with. The burn has found a way to straighten out luckily here at the halfway mark. First Third: 4.5/5 Initial light greets me with graham cracker, that backs off and leaves a rosemary like spice. Its reminding me a bit of my mom's rosemary potatos(olive oil, black peper, and rosemary, plus the obvious potatos cut into roughly steak cut fries and baked in the oven). The rosemary then backs off and leaves just black pepper. Not a bad way to start at all. A light sweetness is working its way in toward the end of the first third. Second Third: 4/5 The sweetness has stopped working its way in and the flavors seem to be settling on a peppered steak. I don't know who makes this stick, but its good. I can say for sure its not a DPG or a Jaime as the spice is very different from what I get from them. The spice changes at the halfway mark into something I can't put my finger on, but its nowhere near as good as the black pepper I was getting. Luckily that weird spice is short lived as the graham cracker works its way back in. I would say this one might be an AJ blend or possibly a Gran Habano from the profile. Final Third: 3.5/5 Everything becomes rather subdued into the final third, with a dry earth moving its way in. The cigar is also getting a bit hot. The graham cracker is coming back yet again, though it is a bit sweeter than it had been earlier. That weird spice I got earlier is coming back into play as I get to the nub. I put it down a bit early as the stick is getting a bit too hot and harsh for me Aftertaste/Finish: 3.7/5 The graham cracker I got on the initial light is proving quite prominent in the finish, though a little bit of the black pepper is hanging around. The black pepper becomes more prominent in the second third. The finish is just like I took a spoonful of black pepper here toward the final third. Into the final third the black pepper backs off almost completely, leaving just a light sweetness. Aroma: 3.5/5 A bit more pungent an aroma than the C or D samples, but not off putting by any means. General Comments: Overall a solid stick. In the $7-$8 price range its worth the money, wouldn't go too much more than that. There was a bit of complexity to the stick but it was fairly 2 dimensional, just shifting between the graham cracker and black pepper almost the whole way through. Overall score for the cigar: 4/5 Recommendation: Recommend, though only for those who like a good dose of pepper.