Cigars Inc., producers of brands such as La Jugada and The Rake, announces their latest blend in June 2017, the IL RIDOTTO. Continuing in the vein of their prior game-themed releases, including poker and dominos, MoyaRuiz reaches further into history for IL RIDOTTO.
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.
Translating to “The Private Room”, Il Ridotto is known as the West’s first public, legal casino. After failed attempts to bar citizens from gambling in the streets of Venice, the decision was made to open Il Ridotto in 1638 – taking up residence in a wing of Venice’s San Moisè Palace – a church, no less.
“Since both of our releases have to do with games, playing dominos and poker (and for money), we wanted to go back to the roots of gambling. That’s where the inspiration came from – to really tell the story of gambling, which Americans love so passionately.” said Danny Moya, co-proprietor of MoyaRuiz Cigars.
The IL RIDOTTO packaging showcases the required attire for casino guests – including three-cornered hats and masks – intended to cultivate a more noble environment. These cigars come in two sizes: Biribi and Basetta, two of the more popular games played at Il Ridotto. These cigars are rolled at La Zona factory in Estelí as is the rest of their lines. Il Ridotto started shipping to select retailers just after the IPCPR show.
“Medium brown wrapper with a triple cap. Veins in the wrapper make it appear there are blemishes and folds that are non there. Interesting contours. ” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
Aroma: 91
“Ground pepper, fresh wood, and caramel.” –Stefan (Stefan)
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The initial flavors are mild and carry the floral notes of the cold aroma. The smoke has a creamy and oily consistency which lends to a finish that is slightly peppery and long. After the first inch or so the flavors transition from floral to savory and sweet.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“The initial few draws were very strong and full of hay and oat. Once the cigar started burning more, the flavor profile softened immensely. It was almost to the point where the flavors were bland. The smoke was nice and the aroma subsided and turned rather soft and almost barnyard-esque. ” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Cedar and sweet hardwood. Earthy and a very firm roll. Extremely loose draw. Had to burn about 1/2 inch of wrapper to even out. Campfire and woody. Gummy long finish.” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
“The strength picks up a bit but still getting those same core flavors. Sweet Cedar notes throughout. ” –Zane G. (Zane)
Flavor: 87
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The final third finished nice. The cigar was very soft throughout and had no real dynamic highlights to it. Just a very easy to smoke cigar during the finish that never heated up and never over-charred the profile.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
“The flavor notes in the last third are pretty soft. Not getting anything much different than previous but they are all pleasant. ” –Zane G. (Zane)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 85
“While the cold draw appeared to be too easy, the draw tightened over the course of the smoke becoming almost right…” –Stefan (Stefan)
Burn: 92
“Great burn throughout. Only had to touch up once or twice to even out the burn. ” –Zane G. (Zane)
Construction: 88
“This was an attractive and well constructed cigar… The dusty brown wrapper reminded me of a well worn leather jacket and the performance was superb. Impressively, the ash held well beyond the halfway point before finally falling off. The remaining ash held on until I allowed the cigar to go out on its own. My only fault in the cigar is that the smoke became hot at the end.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 88
“I did not get much from this stick. No real complexity or flavors that stood out and heightened the experience. This is an easy cigar to smoke while working on projects. As long as you have something else going because this cigar might not keep your attention for very long. It possibly could be attributed to rest time and maybe it will soften up over time and allow more flavors to work together to create a better experience. ” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
“A very solid vitola that reminded me of some of the better CLE’s I’ve had, and which I would have preferred packed more tightly.” –Stefan (Stefan)
“This was an interesting cigar with many flavor shifts. I wish the final third would have stayed cool enough to finish because I feel that this has a chance to be something special. I’ll definitely revisit this again once the reveal is complete.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Flavors weren’t terrible, but the burn issues and loose draw killed this one for me. Hopefully I just got the dud of the box. Would try another, however would be pessimistic. ” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
“Overall this was a very pleasant soft cigar that you could just sit and smoke anytime and not really need to pay attention. I would like to smoke another one with a better draw to see if I could get more out of it. Would be willing to try it again. ” –Zane G. (Zane)
"This was an interesting cigar with many flavor shifts. I wish the final third would have stayed cool enough to finish because I feel that this has a chance to be something special. I'll definitely revisit this again once the reveal is complete." -Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
