Robusto "A" Reviews/Discussion

[jjirons69]

All right - I've had two of baggie A. I'll keep the last until after the big reveal. Like I said, I have the palate of a hyena, but as always, I'll give it my best. Haven't read the other reviews posted in front of me yet, so this is totally on the fly. Hopefully I make you proud, Scott, since you got me in this. I can be your 43 year-old son.

First off, I preface by saying I smoke CCs 90% of the time. Smokes lots of NCs for the past 6 or 7 years, but within the past year or more, CCs have the flavor profile I enjoy most, plus I am afforded more skinny to smaller RG smokes that fit my time allotments. A lot of NCs are heavier and spicier than I enjoy as relaxation smokes.

I'll post both reviews and will average my scores and give a final summary. Pictures include for each event.

Cigar A #1 - Before supper, Yuengling Lager as drink, 1 and 1/2 hours, watching the History channel in the garage, supplement heat via Mr. Heater propane heater while lounging in my stadium chair. Punched cut.

Review Format
0.0 - 2.0 = poor/inferior quality
2.1 - 2.9 = fair
3.0 - 3.5 = good
3.5 - 4.5 = excellent
4.6 - 5.0 = superior

1) Aesthetics: the look of the cigar - oily, coarse, smooth, dry, light, dark, pretty, ugly, etc...
Well rolled, some veins. No so much oily, but dark, yet not maduro dark, maybe sun grown. Easy on the eyes. Nice double cap. Holds together well. One small, tiny split near the end, but nothing to really write about.

Score for aesthetics: 4.0

2) Pre-light Construction: Roll cigar between fingers - soft spots? loose? tight? dense? lightweight? Well rolled? how does it smell?
Feels dense and well rolled. According to my flavor wheel, it's sweet, barnyard, with a smell I smell frequently, but don't know how to describe it. Not tobacco-y, maybe aged grass or hay. Typical NC. Very pleasant.

Score for Pre-light construction: 4.5

3) Post-light Construction/How it smoked: Does it draw well, does smoke pull through on its own, do soft spots appear after lighting, burnes evenly? smokes hot or cool? What is ash like? color of ash? flaky or solid?
Lit well, has a great, easy draw. No soft spots, burned as even as you would want a cigar to burn. Minimal touchup throughout the entire smoke, maybe 3 or 4 because I'm OCD. Ash is whitish to light grey. Holds together for an inch or more. Never fell off, I knock it off. No hot cone after ash dump. Ash reminds me of a Nicaragua stick.

Score for post-light construction: 4.5

4a) Flavor and strength – 1st 1/3: What does it taste like? Full-bodied, med. or mild? Does it taste earthy, spicy, fruity, vegetal, sweet, rich, harsh, direct, floral, robust, woody, green (haylike), acidic, salty? Is it pleasant or unpleasant? Does it build in flavor and/or complexity as you smoke it? Is it bland, flavorful, complex? Did it get bitter?
Initial light - good tobacco flavor, little pepper on the back of the throat then an overall mouth tingle from spice. Spice is medium, not overbearing, which I can't stand. Smooth and leathery, some wood. After about 3/4" the pepper subsides. With spice gone, turns pleasant and enjoyable. Not a lot of surprises, kind of one-dimensional so far. Not hot nor bitter at all. Medium- 4.0

4b) Flavor and strength – 2nd 1/3: Starting turning toward cocoa, yet not bitter. Still not hot. More sweet. Still get leather and wood. Got a little nicotine buzz, but hadn't eat in 3-4 hours. Has a short finish and flavors disappear between swallows of beer. Spice may come a go just a little every now and then. Still not complex and one-dimensional. - 4.0

4c) Flavor and strength – Last 1/3: Best part of the stick. Burning great, razor sharp. Sweet chocolate, not harsh nor bitter. Nearer the end got toffee and the last third was devoid of spice. Never got hot. Stayed medium the entire time. Last third was creamier in flavor and the finish got longer. While the flavors did change a little, they rotated around the wood, leather, cocoa circle, so it stayed pretty consistent throughout the entire stick. No nasal. Enjoyable, solid smoke. - 4.2

Score for flavor and strength: 4.1

5) Aftertaste/Finish: aftertaste is the sensation &/or flavor on you palate after each puff, not the taste left after you finish the cigar. Is it heavy - light? Spicy, cedary, fruity, bitter, hot, grassy? Mild - strong? Pleasant or not? Harsh? Initially spicy and woody. Not particularly heavy, medium to full nearer the end. Pleasant, never strong. Typically maduro-like flavors except for the occasional flare of spice. I liked it.

Score for aftertaste: 4.1

6) Aroma: What does it smell like? Good - bad? light or heavy? pervasive - mild? floral, perfumed, grassy, harsh, woodsy, overpowering, unpleasant, magnificent? Good aged hay to light barnyard smell. No perfume, no floral at all. Pleasant.

Score for aroma: 4.1

7) General Comments: Are samples consistent? Did you particlarily enjoy of with a certain food or beverage? Did they appeal more at certain time of day? Did it remind you of something? Would you buy them? Sum it up as you would to a friends ("That cigar was awesome!") and give it an overall score.
See summary

Overall score for the cigar. 25.2/30 (or 84/100 for those that like the base 10 scale)

8) Recommendation: Would you recommend the cigar? Pick one of the following and explain:
Not Recommended; Possibly Recommended; Recommended; Highly Recommended See summary

[jjirons69]

[jjirons69]

Cigar A #2 - After supper a couple of night later, Apple Pie Moonshine as drink, 1 and 1/2 hours, listening to random iPod in the garage, Reading Midnight Lunch, supplement heat via Mr. Heater propane heater while lounging in my stadium chair. Punched cut.

Review Format
0.0 - 2.0 = poor/inferior quality
2.1 - 2.9 = fair
3.0 - 3.5 = good
3.5 - 4.5 = excellent
4.6 - 5.0 = superior

1) Aesthetics: the look of the cigar - oily, coarse, smooth, dry, light, dark, pretty, ugly, etc...
A little veiny, with a couple of larger than normal veins going the length of the stick, barberpole-style. Small blemish from the band removal process, but it never frayed and smoked right through it without an issue. Not quite as solid feeling as the first, but no slouch either. Dark brown, possibly a maduro, darker than a sun grown. Hard to tell from the looks. Not dyed.

Score for aesthetics: 3.8

2) Pre-light Construction: Roll cigar between fingers - soft spots? loose? tight? dense? lightweight? Well rolled? how does it smell?
Well made. Not soft nor loose, yet not quite as dense feeling as the first one. Smelled of dry hay or horse manure, but not in a bad way, reminds of a barnyard. Pleasant in a way.

Score for Pre-light construction: 4.0

3) Post-light Construction/How it smoked: Does it draw well, does smoke pull through on its own, do soft spots appear after lighting, burnes evenly? smokes hot or cool? What is ash like? color of ash? flaky or solid?
Punched cleanly, no cracks. Looks to be double-capped. Easy draw and easy to smoke. Not much effort to get lots of smoke, just like the first one. For only sitting a few days, it was surprisingly easy to smoke. The ash again was white to like grey and was solid. Sill think here's a lot of Nicaragua in this stick. Did not flake and held it's own. Never got hot during the hour and a half smoke.

Score for post-light construction: 4.2

4a) Flavor and strength – 1st 1/3: What does it taste like? Full-bodied, med. or mild? Does it taste earthy, spicy, fruity, vegetal, sweet, rich, harsh, direct, floral, robust, woody, green (haylike), acidic, salty? Is it pleasant or unpleasant? Does it build in flavor and/or complexity as you smoke it? Is it bland, flavorful, complex? Did it get bitter?
Took the flame well and lit perfectly. Flavor wheel gives a leather, earthy, woody flavor. A little creamy. First several puffs then spice in the back of the throat then on the tongue. The APM washed it away each time. Again, just enough to get a feeling of spice without the blast that I don't enjoy. I don't like to be punched in the mouth by my smokes. After 1/2", spice dies to nothing and leather, wood, and cocoa take the wheel. - 4.0

4b) Flavor and strength – 2nd 1/3: Smoking well. Burned just fine, but not quite as sharp as the first. It was still well-behaved and I only touched it up because it wanted me to. In the middle of the second half the spice comes and goes. Not a nasal smoke at all. Creamy, rich medium smoke with continued leather, wood, and cocoa. Dare say toast flavors popped in. Not overly complex, just a consistent one-trick pony, but hey, those kind of smokes are appreciated. - 4.1

4c) Flavor and strength – Last 1/3: Flavors are more creamier now. Never got hot nor bitter, even with the cocoa flavors. Spice is all but gone. Again, the finish is longer now and goes well with the APM. Warm, creamy, leather, wood, and cocoa. After a swallow of drink while reading, maybe a long finish of Cocoa Crispies or something like that. Continues to burn great and that means a lot with some of the sticks I've had. Flavors are forever hidden or trapped if the stick won't burn properly. A good smoke. - 4.2

Score for flavor and strength: 4.1

5) Aftertaste/Finish: aftertaste is the sensation &/or flavor on you palate after each puff, not the taste left after you finish the cigar. Is it heavy - light? Spicy, cedary, fruity, bitter, hot, grassy? Mild - strong? Pleasant or not? Harsh? It was medium to med-full. Spice initially for half a dozen puffs then every now and then in the middle. Mild spice, though. Maybe cedary, but the leather dominated the most of the flavors for me in the after tastes. Went well with my drink and the full stomach made it an uneventful nicotine ride. Short finish in the begin building to a longer, sweet finish at the end.

Score for aftertaste: 4.2

6) Aroma: What does it smell like? Good - bad? light or heavy? pervasive - mild? floral, perfumed, grassy, harsh, woodsy, overpowering, unpleasant, magnificent? Typical dark NC smells. The first thing that pops in my head is a barn when I smell the stick. Not grassy nor floral. Never overpowering. Very pleasant

Score for aroma: 4.1

7) General Comments: Are samples consistent? Did you particlarily enjoy of with a certain food or beverage? Did they appeal more at certain time of day? Did it remind you of something? Would you buy them? Sum it up as you would to a friends ("That cigar was awesome!") and give it an overall score.
See summary

Overall score for the cigar. 24.4/30 (or 81/100 for those that like the base 10 scale)

8) Recommendation: Would you recommend the cigar? Pick one of the following and explain:
Not Recommended; Possibly Recommended; Recommended; Highly Recommended See summary

[jjirons69]

Cigar A Summary:

Overall average score for the cigar. 24.8/30 (or 83/100 for those that like the base 10 scale)

7) General Comments: Are samples consistent? Did you particularly enjoy of with a certain food or beverage? Did they appeal more at certain time of day? Did it remind you of something? Would you buy them? Sum it up as you would to a friends ("That cigar was awesome!") and give it an overall score.
Overall a solid 8 out of a 10. It was a very good and enjoyable after dinner smoke. The ride was enjoyable and the little changes with the spice made you pay attention. Without the spice, it would have been a one-dimensional, potentially boring adventure for the die-hard NC smoker. I typically just smoke NCs during activities (golfing, fishing, etc.) where the smoking act dominates the flavor-gathering aspect of smoking. I lounge with CCs and work with NCs, so I often don't pay much attention to my workhorses. Cigar A did remind me of a Nicaraguan maduro in so many ways, i.e. ash color, leathery flavors, and spice. The flavors were balanced and enjoyable. Would I buy them? - probably if I were splitting them with buddies and got a good deal. I didn't dislike them, but I wouldn't seek them out. To one of my friends I'd say, "A great little enjoyable robusto that smokes really well."

8) Recommendation: Would you recommend the cigar? Pick one of the following and explain:
Not Recommended; Possibly Recommended; Recommended; Highly Recommended. To all my inner circle guys, I'd highly recommend. Smokeability takes this cigar to that level. It's effortless to smoke, tar doesn't ooze from the punch giving bitter lip and tongue flavors, stays lit for 5-10 minutes left unattended, burns as well as you'd want and also gives an enjoyable flavor profile, while not sucker punching you in the face.

[Jason]

Aesthetics: 2
this one's a bit ugly due to some wrapper fractures

Pre-light Construction: 2
aforementioned wrapper problems are going to give me a bit of hell I reckon, cut rough and flaked a bit. Feels well filled, even and firm otherwise

Post-light Construction/How it smoked: 3
draws nice, burns even, fracture noticed around foot and one about halfway have joined so the wrapper is split about halfway but I'm talking tender to it and it's not getting out of hand so far. second third it's becoming a bit of a mess with the wrapper, I meditate and pray consistenly as I'm really liking it and decide to not knock ash anymore as it does damage every time.

NOTES Flavor and strength – 1st 1/3:
hey hey! got an absolutely great flavor presenting here but I have to chase it a bit. A very aromatic wood note that's approaching a men's cologne kind of vibe that very pleasant but it's only there and the end of the inhale and just beginning of lettting it out the nose where it gets stamped out by a bit of a peppery bite
NOTES Flavor and strength – 2nd 1/3:
the aforementioned flavor was fun to chase and sample through the first third and was consistently there in spades but in the second third it's toning down to wood, still aromatic and very pleasant. Floral note showing up on the end of exhale and briefly on the finish. Nose bite has almost entirely disappeared, very smooth and dry but still what I'd call a creamy feel (weird though as it's "dry")
NOTES Flavor and strength – Last 1/3:
got a full inch of wrapper on one side not making contact with burn so I hit it with the flame and lo and behold, stronger aromatic wood, leads me to believe this wrapper has a lot contribute, makes me wanna stamp my feet and cry a little as it's been unravelling. Getting past the wrapper issues and fully into the final third and it's still plugging away with the lovely wood, a bit of licorice and spice, maybe a white pepper coming on and a bit of bite back in the nose. Loving this smoke.
Flavor and Strength: 4.7
Flavors great and variable on the timing of their delivery made this an extremly intersting smoke! "Strength" I would say medium but flavor would be full.

Aftertaste/Finish: 4.5

Aroma: 4.3

General Comments:
While not up there with my favorite smokes ever it's just down to flavor preference. The flavors here were very very nice however, just not perfectly to my taste but very intersting and complex, a lot of variation

Overall score for the cigar. 68.3333333333333 (tally from above) 4.6 (my overall impression)

Recommendation:highly depending on consensus