Cigar Info
Bespoke Cigars is based out of Estonia and started by Jeremy Casdagli. They have had a presence since the early 2000’s but until recent years, the brand has mostly been found in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. In 2015, Bespoke Cigars came to the U.S. market and was distributed by Biggs in Chicago. Now, they are distributed by The Bespoke Company run by Vlada Stojanov and The Clayton in Chicago. Bespoke has quite a few lines, including the traditional line which we are reviewing today.
The traditional line uses the 4 original sizes inspired by Carlos Valdez Mosquera who rolled Bespoke in Havana, Cuba for in the 1990s. When Carlos Carlos retired, Jeremy Casdagli moved production to the KBF factory created by Hendrik Kelner Jr. The Bespoke Traditional was the first cigar made at KBF for Bespoke cigars to be sweet and mild but full bodied. The robusto is their most popular vitola. The Traditional Robusto has the Cotui wrapper that delivers a rich, sweet honey taste. The companies calls this a mild to medium cigar and is a perfect smoke throughout the day. The Bespoke robusto weighs about 10% more then a Cuban robusto but is densely packed to deliver a perfect draw everytime. This cigar is blended especially for Bespoke Cigars by Hendrik Kelner Jr. of the Davidoff Kelner family.
Bespoke Traditional Robusto Details:
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Kelner Boutique Factory
- Wrapper: Dominican Republic
- Binder: Dominican Republic
- Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, & USA
- Size: 4.9 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 50
- Vitola: Robusto
- MSRP: $12.00
Pre-light
A subtle chestnut brown wrapper with some noticeable, but minimal, veins lining the length of this triple capped and a closed foot cigar.
On those nose, notes of leather exude from the wrapper while the foot provides cream, leather, and a mild nuttiness. Flavors of must, mild sweet fruit, and bourbon barrel wood are evident from the cold draw.
First Third
A delicious woodsy flavor is detected after the lighting of this cigar. Burning past the initial 1/8in of the foot, additional flavors of slightly sweet leather, steamed cream, a nuance of pomegranate, and pepper on the retrohale. Truly a delicious mild-medium beginning.
Second Third
Entering the second third I am greeted with a profile of leather and mild, slightly buttery, cashews. With the pepper subsided on the retrohale, a rich leather takes over on this front. The burn line struggles to remain razor sharp, however it doesn’t need corrected.
Final Third
Lastly, the final third gives off a solid medium profile with tastes of cream, nuts, and a very minor note of smokey aromatic wood. As I get toward the end these flavors developed in intensity with a nice strong wood note.
Overall Impressions
I am certainly happy I have a box of these to share incoming for the holidays! This is a very easy going smoke for those who appreciate a subtle milder medium bodied smoke. I imagine lighting one of these cigars up while rocking in my chair by a warm fireplace, embracing the experience of the mellow and nuanced flavors provided. Construction was top notch however the burn struggled to keep razor sharp.
While it won’t completely rock your socks off like full bodied sticks, it’s nice to know that this cigar maintains a well balanced profile that anyone can enjoy anytime for a good hour.
-John A. (Bostoneo)
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