Cubariqueño Cigar Company showed off the Protocol at the 2015 International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Trade Show (IPCPR) in New Orleans, LA. The company, launched its first cigar (Protocol) to market on May 16 of this year. Cubariqueño Cigar Company is offering the debut release in two original sizes, Toro (6×52) and Corona Gordo (5 5/8 x 46). The cigar is wrapped in an Ecuadorian Oscuro leaf with a Nicaraguan Habano binder and a unique filler blend consisting of quadruple Nicaraguan Ligero from Estelí and Jalapa. Today we are reviewing the Cubariqueno | ProtocolToro/
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.
The entire first production run of 5,000 cigars sold in about two months with no advertisements, just a presence on social media. Their next production has been made and is aging at La Zona
Cancel, the other co-owner said, “We are very excited. Being with Erik Espinosa at the show is a blessing. I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Erik and cannot imagine or want to do this with any other cigar manufacturer. Erik has been instrumental in making this dream a reality and allowing us to turn this love and passion for cigars into something real and tangible to share with other fellow cigar smokers. I am excited to see what the future holds for Cubariqueño Cigar Company. I am sure about one thing, with La Zona as our home it will be a bright future!”
The company plans to remain a small batch cigar company with its second production run limited to 6,000 cigars, 1,000 more than the original batch.
“Toro sized with a dark wrapper. The surface was smooth with not many veins visible. There are three well applied caps. The cigar is firm to the touch the entire length.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
Aroma: 91
“The aroma is a prominent musty barnyard smell, with a pepper note that lingers on the nose. Py pre-draw is mostly pepper with some woodiness.” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
Flavor: 94
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The initial third starts with strong woodsy notes of cedar and there is also strong leather. Surprisingly, I am getting a flavor that I have not gotten before of malt. Pepper doesn't really start until after the first half inch. After the first inch, there is a slight mineral like taste. The cigar is quite hard to stay lit, but no relight is required. The draw and burn are very good with no issues. The ash is white and flaky and holds only a half inch.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
“Both cedar and leather are the predominant flavors of this section; however, there is a present undertone of dark chocolate at the very back of the tongue. It was a bit difficult to pick up, but definitely lingers between puffs.” –Kent (Throck)
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The lack of resistance is causing this cigar to smoke very quickly, even when I am not actively smoking it. The flavors are still really nice though. It hasn't changed at all going into the second third and I am still getting the creamy coffee up front, with smokey wood, followed by an oily pepper. The retrohale is still a molasses and pepper flavor. Because of the draw issues, it gets hot really quick resulting in a buildup of bitterness, but by blowing through it helps to dissipate the bitterness.” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
“The complexity dropped off a bit in this segment. I lost the chocolate undertones, and the cigar became slightly more bitter when compared to the first. There were still flavors of cedar and leather.” –Kent (Throck)
Flavor: 94
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“The final third has cedar and leather as the predominant flavors. Towards the end, the pepper increases in strength to a crescendo. The almond-like nuttiness is still present the entire length of the cigar. Quite complex till the very end. No issues with the draw or the burn. The issue with the cigar being hard to stay lit continued to the very end unfortunately. Slightly annoying but not a major issue.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
“During the final third, the flavors mellowed and the smoked wood flavor became a little spicy and had a sweet cinnamon flavor to end.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 98
“The draw was near perfect during the entire smoke. This was a great aspect of the cigar.” –Kent (Throck)
Burn: 95
“Although it started out a little wavy, this cigar evened out pretty quick and was straight as an arrow until the very end.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)
Construction: 94
“The first third burned fairly quickly and was also quite brittle upon palpation, but the remaining portions were perfect and I had no issues with construction.” –Kent (Throck)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 94
“I think I would have enjoyed this smoke if it wasn't for the construction issues. When it was smoking well it had nice flavors and kind of reminded me of a couple of Tat's I've had, but overall it was a pretty bad experience. I couldn't recommend this to anyone without the benefit of trying another. It had some promise, and even shined in a few moments, but otherwise was a major disappointment.” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
“Overall, the experience is very good with a good amount of complexity in the flavors as well as the strength. The only issue was that the cigar was hard to stay lit. Not a major issue just a slight annoyance. This is one I will definitely try again.” –Sandeep (Djangos)
“I really enjoyed this cigar and was quite impressed that it lasted almost two hours. The transition of flavors really brought out the best of this cigar and the thick creamy smoke was the icing on the cake. I will definitely smoke this cigar again.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)
“I really enjoyed this cigar. The chocolate undertones in the front were balanced beautifully by the mildness and cohesive flavors in the final third. I would recommend this to a friend who desires a mild, yet complex enough smoke.” –Kent (Throck)
–