The H.R. Habano blended by Hirochi Robaina debuted at the 2015 IPCPR. It was originally made and distributed by Cubanacan Cigars, but after a lengthy legal battle all HR cigars are now distributed by White Hat Distributors. At the 2016 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, White Hat distributors added the H.R. Blue, a maduro line that uses an Ecuadorian habano maduro wrapper.
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.
“We utilized some different primings of the same tobaccos used in the original H.R. blend and covered it with a gorgeous Habano Maduro wrapper from Ecuador,” said Spence Drake, owner of White Hat Distribution, which distributes H.R. in the U.S. “We fermented this leaf for almost two years ‘low and slow’ and ended up with a flawless wrapper.”
It comes in four sizes: Corona Gorda (5 1/2 x 46, $7.95), Petit Edmundo (4 1/2 x 52, $8.50), Toro (6 x 50, $8.95) and Gordo (6 x 60, $9.95).
The lines are produced by Omar González Alemán at his La Corona factory in Estelí.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Petite Edmundo
Length: 4.5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Nicaruagua
Wrapper: Habano Maduro
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Factory: La Corona
Blender: Hirochi Robaina, Omar Gonzalez Alemán
Number of reviewers: 5 – John I. (John I.) Isaac M.(The Nothing) Adam B.(Bushboy) Eric (smalls29) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Price: $8.50
Age: 6 Months
Release Date: July 2016
Contributed by: White Hat
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 93
“Dark brown wrapper on this robusto smoke. Almost closed foot adds character that is sparking my interest. Noticeably firm roll and a soft texture almost velvet like feel to the wrapper. This one has my attention and I can’t wait to put a flame to it. ” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
Aroma: 90
“There is a nice sweet cedar smell that greets the nose upon first smell pre light. It has a nice cedar chest smell.” –Eric (smalls29)
“Upon lighting up there is an explosion of smoke from the wrapper leaf cloaking the foot resulting in big booming flavors of pepper and rich earth. Ten minutes in there continues to be significant pepper, oak, and earthy flavors and a surprisingly smooth and creamy retrohale given the potency of this cigar. The burn is crisp and this has a really nice heft in the hand. Nothing but fun so far. As the first third nears the end, there is a nice sugary sweetness developing on the finish. I’ve dropped a nice solid hunk of ash with a solid thud in the ashtray and all is right with the world.” –John I. (John I.)
“This little cigar started off with a blast of leathery black pepper, followed by a subtle tangy sweetness. Surprisingly as the first third progressed the pepper didn’t fade but actually intensified. Also, a dark earth flavor developed and the sweetness faded slightly and became something I had to concentrate on to discern.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Fantastic cigar so far. Tons of flavor and a nice kick. Make sure you don’t attempt this one on an empty stomach though. Herbs and spices are plentiful. Notes of cinnamon, clove and licorice are present. Peppery but not too spicy. Finish is a sugar dusted raisin. Burn is dead nuts. Looking forward to the final third. Definitely a keeper so far, very enjoyable. ” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
“The woody and marshamllow flavors have blended into a nice campfire taste. nice blend that is not overpowering at all. The flavors leave a nice after taste. This has a nice woody flavor. Lovin it so far.” –Eric (smalls29)
Blind Cigar Review: HR | Blue Petite Edmundo
Final Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The final portion of this cigar finally had the strength lessen just a bit and the earthy leather flavors really began to shine. The sweetness returned and I was able to retrohaling again…further adding to my enjoyment. I like it!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“The last third was more of the creamy leather and spice from the second with a slowly building bitterness, like burned coffee. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, and I thought it enjoyable–it certainly wasn’t a turn off.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Blind Cigar Review: HR | Blue Petite Edmundo
Overall Impressions
Draw: 93
“Consistent throughout with a fantastic draw to smoke output ratio. No issues for the duration of burn. Very nice construction and performance.” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
Burn: 91
“There was a nice clean burn with a good chimney.” –Eric (smalls29)
Construction: 89
Blind Cigar Review: HR | Blue Petite Edmundo
“No issues. Near perfect from initial inspection to nub. ” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
“Really good cigar. Solid core flavors, great initial flavor blast from the closed foot, and some interesting transitions along the way. There were a few minor construction issues, it wasn’t tremendously nuanced and it got a little flat toward the end, but there’s still good stuff happening here. I’d smoke a ton of these. ” –John I. (John I.)
Blind Cigar Review: HR | Blue Petite Edmundo
“When I wasn’t busy relighting this cigar, I found it quite enjoyable, especially with the creaminess that came on in the second third. It’s unfortunate that I had problems with the cigar that kept me from truly enjoying my time with it. I would be willing, though, to give it another try in hopes the next cigar wouldn’t try to fight me.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Flavors were enjoyable and transitioned nicely. Definitely not a cigar for the novice smoker due to the strength. I will definitely be buying more of these after the reveal. Bravo to those who concocted this blend and rolled this masterpiece. ” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
“I really enjoyed this cigar. The flavors of woods and marshmallow were an enjoyable campfire taste. There was a nice medium to medium bold taste with nicely balanced flavors through the first two thirds. The marshmallow went away in the finl third causeing the flavors to grow slightly bitter. However, not to a point that I had to stop. This is a cigar that would pair nicely with an ale or other dark beer. Even better would be while sitting around a campfire.” –Eric (smalls29)
“This was a strong cigar that demanded my attention. Couple that with excellent flavors and you have a cigar that also deserved my attention. This might be too much for a beginner but it was just right for me!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: HR | Blue Petite Edmundo
Overall Score – 91 – Very Good
Blind Cigar Review: HR | Blue Petite Edmundo
Summary
"Really good cigar. Solid core flavors, great initial flavor blast from the closed foot, and some interesting transitions along the way. There were a few minor construction issues, it wasn't tremendously nuanced and it got a little flat toward the end, but there's still good stuff happening here. I'd smoke a ton of these. " -John I. (John I.)
