[macpappy]

I had a Robusto:
It’s not the prettiest cigar I’ve seen. The wrapper had some noticeable veins (and by that I mean you can actually feel the veins in the wrapper standing out). You get the sense that if you drag your thumbnail across the wrapper that you could hook the vein and pull it out. The wrapper had a fair amount of oils present and the cigar itself was firm enough that I was worried about how it would draw. The pre-light smell was of leather and wood.
While I was expecting a burst of spice on the first draw, I just didn’t taste it. There was almost no spice for the first few puffs and then it slowly started to develop but I just continued to have the sense that there was no spice present at any time. The dominant flavor I found at first was leather with a hint of cedar and a slight bittersweet cocoa and after the first inch it was more a creamy and smooth flavor with a general sweet woodiness. Throughout the hour and twenty minutes that I smoked the Cru Royale, I did however catch fleeting tastes of nuts and cocoa powder and a subtle sweetness but nothing really stood out and made me say, “Wow!” It never did develop any enough spiciness for me though even though it did seem to get slightly stronger towards the end.
I found the construction to be as flawless as usual for a Macanudo (except for the veins in the wrapper). The burn throughout was even and only needed retouching once after the half way through. The grayish white ash had a slight brown tinge at the start but the tinge wasn’t noticeable at any other time. One thing that surprised me was that the ash held on until almost the halfway mark before it fell off.
The draw was easier than I expected because of the firmness of the cigar and it produced plenty of smoke. One thing I definitely liked was the post-smoke aroma of the cigar that I could still smell on my hands two hours after enjoying it. I’ve found that a good cigar usually leaves a good tobacco aroma on your hands after smoking it. This one did that, my hands still smelled like an enjoyable smoke.
The one I tried was given to me by one of the owners of Habanos in Slidell so I’m not sure what the Macanudo Cru Royale Robustos will retail for but I would expect it to be in the $5 to $7 range. It wasn’t the most complex cigar I’ve ever smoked but it was an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon and is worth revisiting. I would recommend this as a good introductory or gift cigar for people who are new to the enjoyment of fine cigars.