Blind Cigar Review: San Pedro de Macorís | Nicaragua Robusto

Cigar Info

Last year, Royal Agio Cigars USA came out with a totally new line: San Pedro de Macorís. This line positioned as a more affordable option to their Balmoral line came in two blends: Ecuador, and Brazil. Early this year, Royal Agio announced the two new extensions to the San Pedro de Macorís line, Nicaragua and Sun Grown. The Nicaragua uses a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. All three previous blends have scored extremely well on Blind Man’s Puff, especially given the price.

The name comes from the town of San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic, which is the location of Royal Agio’s cigar factory. All the blends use original Cuban seed Piloto Ligero tobacco filler. All blends come in boxes of 20 and in three sizes: Perla 4 1/8 x 40 (MSRP $4.75), Corona 5 7/8 x 42 (MSRP $5.00) and Robusto 5 1/8 x 52 (MSRP $5.50).

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5 1/8″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Brazil, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Factory: Royal Agio Cigar Factory
Blender: Francisco Batista
Number of reviewers: 4 – James H. (Keikan Jim) Nate H. (SineQuaNon) Kevin J. (maninblack77) Matt T. (Mattehh)
Price: $5.50
Age: 6 Months
Release Date: April 2019
Contributed by: Royal Agio Cigars

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 95

“Beautiful oily sheen to this wrapper. Looks like a well oiled piece of leather. No prominent veins. Nice simple single cap. Very nice looking cigar. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

Aroma: 90

“There is a nice woodsy and leather scent emitting from the wrapper with baking spice and a very slight cocoa note on the foot. Time to cut and light!” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

First Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium

“This cigar started out smoking as light as it smelled, but within an inch the flavors became more pronounced; a ton of leather, a dash of sweet fruit, and very mild spice. This stick seemed almost eager to be burned, as toasting was very quick and simple. The char line was only the tiniest bit wavy, but this cigar produced some of the most beautiful smoke lines in the medium grey ash. To sum up the first third of this stick, it seems to be of high quality, but the light and subtle flavors so far are slightly disappointing.” –Nate H. (SineQuaNon)

“The cigar started out great. The flavors were of baked goods, floral, and a flavor I could not distinguished. I could not figure out the last flavor I was getting even though it was a really nice flavor. The retro was smooth and enhanced the baked goods.” –Matt T. (Mattehh)

Second Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Some of the leather notes fade into the background. Lots of baking spices come to the forefront and a bit of nuttiness, almost a dry unsalted cashew flavor. Not as exciting flavorwise as the first third but still enjoyable. Burn is still perfect. Knocked the ash off about 2 inches in. On to the final third. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“The second third was still much of the same from the first. Baked goods, floral, and that one flavor I can’t pin point. Retro was still smooth and was enhancing the flavors.” –Matt T. (Mattehh)

Final Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The final third starts taking on a slightly charred flavor. It’s not bad, just seemed out of character for the way this stick was progressing. This was a fleeting flavor however and the stick got back on track. The black pepper came to the front with roasted nut and a longish salty finish. The leather has nearly faded away. Retrohale remains very smooth. ” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

“Some white pepper appears in the flavor profile but the leather and spice keeps it going. Very enjoyable cigar down to the nub. A milder cigar than I usually enjoy, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 98

“The draw had no problems. It was a little on the loose side for my liking but still close to perfect.” –Matt T. (Mattehh)

Burn: 98

“When I say the burn on this cigar was perfect, I don’t say it lightly; I could not imagine anything combusting more perfectly, evenly, and responding better to varied rates/strengths of puffing. Perfection. The ash was simply amazing, as well; it held on for ridiculous lengths of time and was quite beautiful. Dimes. Were. Stacked.” –Nate H. (SineQuaNon)

Construction: 98

“The construction of this Cigar was top notch. Firm to the touch with a nice weight. The draw and burn of this Cigar was a testament to the construction.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 94

“I really enjoyed this one. Excellent progression and great flavors. I’d pair this with a Speyside Scotch or crisp golden ale. I will be looking for the reveal so I can put a few in my humidor. ” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

“Despite the absolutely outstanding construction and burn on this cigar, the mild and uninspiring flavor in the first third was aggravating, and when the flavors finally did present themselves more thoroughly, I still wasn’t overly impressed, but that could have been due being frankly bored with the first third. Either way, this was a quality cigar, and if medium/medium is your wheelhouse, this cigar would be worth a try.” –Nate H. (SineQuaNon)

“Very enjoyable cigar! The leather and spice notes complimented each other perfectly. I’d give this cigar a solid 93. Would definitely try this one again. Great morning cigar that would pair with coffee or a latte very well. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“The cigar was really good. I didn’t have anything really bad to say about it. The flavors were nice and the retro was really good.” –Matt T. (Mattehh)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 79

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Blind Cigar Review: San Pedro de Macorís | Nicaragua Robusto

Overall Score – 94 – Excellent