Vital Stats:
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
Vitola: Robusto Extra
Length: 5.5″
Ring Gauge: 55
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Plasencia Cigars, S.A.
Blender: Undisclosed
Number of reviewers: 5—–Ron (shuckins) Dave (mdwest) Sandeep (Djangos) Craig (WyldKnyght) Jason (bigslowrock)
Price: $8.00
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: July 2014
Contributed by: Crux Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 91
“Very nice looking Robusto Extra cigar. It had a very appealing oily chocolate brown wrapper. There where some thin to medium veins. It had a nice triple cap.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)
Aroma: 90
“The major aroma is a barnyardy kind of quality. It is very difficult to put a finger on one single flavor. However, the dry draw is a whole different story with strong hay and white pepper to the tongue.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
First Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Off to a great start with a flavor profile that is right up my alley. Baking spices and leather fill the palate, and the smoke is smooth and creamy in texture.” –Dave (mdwest)
“This cigar really starts off amazing. Great creamy, sweet cedar to start us off. Unfortunately, after 5 minutes or so, the cigar just goes flat. There is some cedar, but the cigar is lacking some balance or flavor.” –Jason (bigslowrock)
Second Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“A fresh tasting cedar shows up in the second third and blends well with leather. The coffee lost its dark roast taste when a pleasing and creamy nutmeg flavor showed up and brought a little dose of pepper with it. This added an exciting kick to the cigar.” –Ron (shuckins)
“As the second third progressed, the pepper picked up and the flavor stayed the same. I continued to have issues with the burn being very uneven. I touched it up to see if it would even out.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)
Final Third
Flavor: 86
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“While there wasn’t much of a distinguishable change from the first to the second third, there is a pretty big change noticed as I get in to the final few inches of the cigar, with floral notes becoming much more pronounced and the baking spices that have dominated the flavor so far moving to the background. Great way to end this smoke.” –Dave (mdwest)
“The final third picks up the same flavors from the middle third. The pepper is more prominent now. The pepper is harsher now and the hay is subdued. The spice is no longer present. The pepper hits a crescendo towards the end. The burn skewed to a point in the final third that required a touch up. The draw and smoke production were still very good to the end.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 91
“A very good draw that is neither too tight or too loose. Right on the money.” –Dave (mdwest)
Burn: 86
“The smoke production was sub par. The burn was wavey. There was a bit of flowering going on with the ash. With that said, no relights or touch ups required.” –Jason (bigslowrock)
Construction: 91
“A well put together cigar, tightly packed and well balanced.” –Ron (shuckins)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Overall Experience: 87
“I enjoyed this cigar and the flavors it had as they were some of my favorites. I would definitely smoke some more of these.” –Ron (shuckins)
“Overall, a really nice experience. I’m anxiously awaiting the reveal on this one. I would certainly be interested in picking up at least a handful of these to enjoy, and would probably consider a box purchase if the next few went as well as this one did.” –Dave (mdwest)
“Overall, this cigar was ok but definitely not in my flavor profile. Also, the burn issues took from the enjoyment. Probably not something that I would go seeking.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
“This cigar was definitely not my cup of tea, very one dimensional flavor wise. The pepper kept getting strong to the point of harshness, and the burn issues provide me with the conclusion that I probably would not smoke this cigar again.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)
“The cigar was pretty unnoticeable. Nothing really good or bad to say about it. Other than the first blast of flavor, the cigar flavors were very flat. If I had some of these in my humidor, I would sit on them a while in hopes that they were just sick. –Jason (bigslowrock)
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Smoking Time (in minutes): 73
| Reviewer | Appearance | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron | 90 | 92 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 95 | 92 | 90 |
| Dave | 92 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 92 | 90 | 87 | 90 | 92 |
| Sandeep | 95 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 85 | 97 | 83 | 95 | 85 |
| Craig | 90 | 90 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 90 | 75 | 88 | 85 |
| Jason | 92 | 92 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 92 | 87 | 90 | 87 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
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