Don Doroteo Salt of the Earth Piedra Viva Robusto – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Don Doroteo launched the Salt of the Earth Piedra Viva as part of its first regular production line, debuting it at the 2023 Premium Cigar Association trade show. This line is established as a tribute to Doroteo Fermin Delgado, the grandfather and brand co-founder Juan Lugo, who was described as a “salt of the earth” type of man. Predominantly, the cigar was released as a 5 3/4″ x 54 Toro vitola, and represents Don Doroteo’s first effort to bring its own original brand to the cigar market.

Piedra Viva is Spanish for “Living Stone” and is distinguished by its use of special Andullo Tobacco which is an ancient Dominican fermentation method.

These cigars are available in 10 count boxes and is available in 5 sizes: Robusto (5×50), Toro (5.75×54), Corona (5.5 x42), Belicoso (6.25×52, and Churchill (7×47+).

Vital Stats:

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Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuador (Cameroon)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic
Factory: Undisclosed
Blender: Juan Lugo
Number of reviewers: 4 – Jessica (Stogie Sister) Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Kevin J. (maninblack77) Noah S. (Noah)
Price: $15.00
Age: 8 Months
Release Date: August 2023
Contributed by: Don Doroteo Cigars

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 92

“This thick toro has a nice oily sheen to it, which goes well with its dark honey-colored wrapper. Very hefty feel to it as well. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

Aroma: 95

“Pre-light aroma is of craisins and wood. Not a profile I get often so it’s a nice surprise.” –Jessica (Stogie Sister)

First Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Wow! What a wide variety of flavors that hit my palate in the first third. Cocoa, graham crackers, baking spices, leather, and vanilla all make an appearance. Each one just works so well with the others. The burn and draw are perfect and the ash holds on for well over an inch before I tap it off. An extraordinary start to this cigar. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“Once lit the cigar opens with sweet, dark, and dry notes that grab my attention. Sadly after half an inch, I hear something that no cigar smoker likes to hear…the wrapper completely cracks open. I wonder if this cigar was damaged in transport. Well there is only one thing left to do, smoke it till I can’t anymore. I gently continue through the third. The sweetness has taken a step back which allows the darker, richer, flavor to step forward. Underneath that there is a drying component that resets my palate for the next puff. These elements are working very nicely together. Pushing some smoke out my nose I find it to be smooth and velvety. There are floral notes and a lingering baking spice finish. All of this creates a fantastic opening salvo with medium to medium full body and finish. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Second Third

Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Just as I was about to enter the second third, the cigar wrapper blew apart. That tiny hole I saw in the wrapper went through the binder and into the filler so smoke would come out of the hole, and it just couldn’t hold together once the burn line reached the hole. While the cigar became less complex, I enjoyed the amped-up sweetness from the dark fruit which was joined by wood and pepper.” –Jessica (Stogie Sister)

“Only subtle changes to report with the middle act. A bit of mouthwatering tanginess by the way of dried dark cherries joins the same earthy mix of mineral latent earth, leather, peanut shell, and charred oak. The draw has also loosened up just a little bit making it more effortless to get a good mouthful of smoke. Out of nowhere, a solid buzz washes over me, upping the ante one more time. Everything else about this smoke has remained dead consistent. ” –Noah S. (Noah)

Final Third

Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Still enjoying the amped-up sweetness of the dark fruit which is joined with various woods and peppers. No changes from the second third.” –Jessica (Stogie Sister)

“As I smoke into the final third the dark notes have won. The smoke is rich and flavorful on the palate with the essence of dark cocoa powder. The retrohale has gained a little depth in this final third too. This is thick but still velvety smooth. The cigar has transitioned well around all of those wrapper crack and is chugging along like a champ. Body, finish, and strength have stayed the same throughout the entire smoking experience. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 90

“Although the draw started out tighter than I prefer, it was never so tight that it ruined the experience. The final two-thirds proved to be much better as a good mouthful of smoke was much easier to come by. ” –Noah S. (Noah)

Burn: 93

“I had the same feeling here as I did with the draw. The burn line was medium thick and fairly straight, all things considered, and it never needed a touch-up. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Construction: 93

“This cigar was made with patience and an eye on getting the blend just right. It performed flawlessly. Hats off to the blenders. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 90

“While nobody likes to deal with a blown-apart wrapper, the flavor profile kept me going to the nub. It’s a well-blended cigar, potentially with greater complexity if that wrapper had stayed in place. I would smoke again.” –Jessica (Stogie Sister)

“I dare to wonder what I would have rated this cigar if the wrapper didn’t crack. The profile is right in my wheel house and it smoked incredibly well given the circumstances. Gently smoking this cigar allowed all of its profile to develop over the 85 minutes. I will for sure be seeking this out and giving it a fair shake when I find out what it is. As for now, I will say that this is a flavorful cigar that must be experienced. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“I can’t say enough good things about this cigar. The crazy array of flavors that hit my palate were so impressive it kept me wanting more. Usually not a fan of these thicker toros but man this one was spot on. Highly recommended if you want to be blown away by cocoa, leather, baking spices, graham crackers, and salted nut flavors. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“When I grabbed this cigar from the humidor and performed the pre-light inspection I was beyond excited as it showed a ton of potential and its aroma alone was enough to draw me in. Unfortunately, the first and final thirds simply lacked the balance in flavor to push this cigar from good to great. I love a good savory and earthy stick as long as there’s a little something something to complement the darker flavors. Unfortunately, the only time this cigar had that going on was during the second third and it just wasn’t enough for me to do cartwheels over. On a lighter note, its performance was above par. Although the draw was a little tight starting out, it quickly loosened up making for an effortless smoke. It also burned like a champ from start to finish requiring only a single relight which I’m quite certain was more my fault than the cigar‘s. While I do think the right pairing would do wonders for bringing out the finer side of this cigar‘s flavor profiles, it just wasn’t enough for me to stand up on its own. I’ll certainly give it another shot but I’ll be sure to have something to go with it other than just water. ” –Noah S. (Noah)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 105

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Don Doroteo Salt of the Earth Piedra Viva Robusto – Blind Cigar Review