PDR Cigars originally released the El Trovador at the 2016 IPCPR trade show. One year later, at the same trade show, they released El TrovadorMaduro. The El Trovador gets its name from an old Cuban brand of that name that owner and blender Abe Flores came upon on a trip to Cuba. It translates to Troubadour which means a French minstrel, and is also the name of a night club in Los Angeles. Flores also has a background in music so the name stuck.
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 blend uses a Mexican San Andres wrapper, replacing the original Ecuadorian Rosado, double Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan filler. It comes in the same four sizes as the original: Petit Robusto: 4 1/2 x 50, Robusto: 5 x 52, Corona Gorda: 6 x 46, and Gran Toro: 6 x 54. All comes in 24-count boxes.
“The wrapper reminds me of a fudge brownie with some milk chocolate swirls. There’s mostly delicate veins running the length of the wrapper with a nice large double cap. It has a very soft box pressed shape and is very firm to the touch. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Aroma: 88
“Notes of chocolate, barnyard and earth are coming from the foot. Prelight has quite a bit of black tea and walnut, with a subtle underlying citrus vibe. Prelight draw is just about perfect” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Flavor: 89 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“The first third of this cigar starts of with some barnyard and earth with a sweetness to it like red liquorice candy. The retrohale has a fair amount of black pepper and coffee that balances very well. The draw is superb, and the burn line is just a little bit wavy with a tight grey ash. Getting about an inch into the cigar, there is a bitter sweetness that is hitting the front and back of the tongue that has a fairly long finish to it, almost making my mouth water. It is very pleasant” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“Much milder than I thought it would be. A bit of anise, black pepper, wood, and leather are found on the draw. The smoke output is good but the draw is a little too tight. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Second Third
Flavor: 89 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“There’s a lot more sweetness from the tobacco now. I’m finding a hint of stone fruit, anise, leather, cedar, and a still mild but lingering amount of pepper. The draw is still too tight for me but the smoke output remains solid. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“Mineral and pepper are now playing together nicely through the nose and there’s a touch of pencil shavings in the mix as well. The draw is still producing heavy, full blasts of leather with the earthiness taking a backseat to it. The retrohale is certainly the star of the show in the second third. ” –Matt Cade (CADE)
Flavor: 91 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Getting into the final third, the power has kicked up to med-full. Flavor aside from natural tobacco has pretty much departed the game, although there is still a detectable sweetness of red liquorice. The retrohale has developed a bakers spice note that is quite pleasant, that is actually not overpowered by the black pepper. Burn and draw are the just about perfect as they have been since the beginning. ” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“The ash finally drops with a thud at the beginning of the final third. The strength is now full and the body is not close behind. Final impression of the retrohale was one of strong ballsy pepper and mineral and the draw remained a back and forth between bold leather and earth.” –Matt Cade (CADE)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 93
“Was just a touch too tight the entire time but it did loosen up just before it ended. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Burn: 94
“This cigar burned like a star from start to finish” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Construction: 89
“After an initially wide open draw that concerned me for about five minutes the cigar righted itself and construction proved to be quite good throughout the entire smoking experience.” –Matt Cade (CADE)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full Experience Overall: 88
“Very nice cigar. The flavors were pretty consistent from beginning to end but at it’s shorter size was fine. I’d smoke another if I was offered but I’m not sure I would go run out and get more. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“Had a perfect situation to enjoy this stick. Passing rain storms made this the ideal way to enjoy this cigar. The notes of hickory, cedar, cocoa, and tea make this a nice balanced cigar. I’d suggest a box or two for your humidor. I’d look for this cigar at my favorite smoke shop.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
“This is a strong little cigar that has a pleasing balance of flavors through both the nose and draw. Match that with solid construction and you’ve got a nice selection if you’re looking for quality and power all wrapped up in a relatively short smoking time. ” –Matt Cade (CADE)
“While I typically do not prefer cigars that are “one dimensional”, I do appreciate ones that have minimal transitions, with outstanding representations of the flavors that are there. This is one of those cigars. My only complaint is this was a relatively fast burner. It was one that I wished I had a toro version of, cause I wasn’t ready to be done when the nub got to hot to hold! ” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“The unfortunate part of having a tight draw is that it often brings an overwhelming bitter flavor. Yes, I could have used a draw tool, but that would be unfair to other cigars reviewed and not everyone has such a tool. Looking through that bitterness, I see a cigar that has potential to be good, delicious even. But, untimely, that is not the case this time.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Blind Cigar Review: PDR | El Trovador Maduro Robusto
Summary
"While I typically do not prefer cigars that are "one dimensional", I do appreciate ones that have minimal transitions, with outstanding representations of the flavors that are there. This is one of those cigars. My only complaint is this was a relatively fast burner. It was one that I wished I had a toro version of, cause I wasn't ready to be done when the nub got to hot to hold! " -Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
