Los Statos Deluxe Robusto – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

One of Matt Booth‘s first tasks after taking the reigns as Forged Cigars Creative director was to team up with STG’s Justin Andrews to refresh the Los Statos Deluxe brand. The new blend was produced at STG’s HATSA factory in Danlí, Honduras. It was first shown off at the Room101 booth at PCA last year.

When blending the Los Statos Deluxe, Matt Booth and Justin Andrews used an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. It comes in four viotlas: Los Statos Deluxe Robusto 5” x 50 MSRP per cigar $8.49, Los Statos Deluxe Toro 6” x 52 MSRP per cigar $8.99, Los Statos Deluxe Churchill 7” x 49 MSRP per cigar $9.49, and Los Statos Deluxe Gigante 6” x 60 MSRP per cigar $9.49. All are packaged in 20-count boxes.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: STG Danli
Blender: Matt Booth, Justin Andrew
Number of reviewers: 4 – Sean F. (fullermaine) Angel M. (Angel) Noah S. (Noah) Chris M. (Chris)
Price: $8.49
Age: 6 Months
Release Date: July 2022
Contributed by: General Cigar Co.

Initial Impressions – Los Statos Deluxe Robusto

Appearance: 88

“The appearance of this robusto serves as a reminder of the beauty that lies within the imperfections of a hand-crafted product as it was bumpy and a bit crooked. This stick sported a thick mottled dark brown wrapper with thick veins, small teeth, and a slight oil sheen.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Aroma: 89

“Leather notes on the cold draw. Oak notes once lit.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

First Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Although the initial puffs of this cigar were smooth and flavorsome, the notes were one-dimensional and didn’t really strike my palate in the most pleasant of ways. The smoke was heavily woody and earthy, similar to a charred oak, and was accompanied by an acidic bite on the tongue that led to a dry finish. It wasn’t until the end of the first third that a naturally sweet tobacco joined in and balanced out the charred oak. The retro contributed a red pepper spice that further complimented the subtle sweetness and breathed life into what started as a humdrum experience.” –Noah S. (Noah)

“In the first third, I pick up a lot of cedar, accompanied by a small amount of citrus, as well as a nutty flavor coming through at the end. The smoke is slightly creamy at a cool temperature. The strength and body start off as a solid medium.” –Angel M. (Angel)

Second Third

Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“This stick really began to come into its own entering the second third. While still present, the notes of charred oak dropped back a bit which made room for the more pleasant combo of rich natural tobacco and mineral-laden earth to do their thing. Hints of graham cracker, caramel, and vanilla soon joined the mix. Meanwhile, the retro continued to bring the spice rounding out a significantly more dynamic and interesting smoke than what the initial puffs had to offer. The middle is certainly where this cigar shined!” –Noah S. (Noah)

“The bitter coffee notes go away and spicy licorice notes come forth.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

Final Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Going into the final third the smoke has smoothed back out, although it still remains the same temperature, both are very enjoyable. The flavor remains a tad bit bitter with cedar still dominating along with the nutty back notes. There is a slight tobacco sweetness that came in during the final third also. This cigar stayed at a solid medium in strength and body during the entire experience.” –Angel M. (Angel)

“A slightly earthy cocoa and the cola note sit right above the citric cedar. The creamy peanut and the mixed spice are at a nice moderate level. There is a floral sweetness joining the background, and growing on the finish.” –Chris M. (Chris)

Overall Impressions – Los Statos Deluxe Robusto

Draw: 95

“From the cold draw to the last puff the draw on this stick was excellent which produced mouthfuls of smoke with little effort.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Burn: 95

“Even burn from start to finish. Minor touch up needed at the end. Nice grey-white ash.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

Construction: 88

“Very good construction, everything held together nicely. The feel, look, and texture of the cigar was a little rough with the bumpy wrapper and large veins but performed just very well and as stated before, it held together nicely.” –Angel M. (Angel)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 92

“Bitter cigar for the first two-thirds. Notes of leather, bitter coffee, licorice, and sugar. Even burn throughout the cigar that needs a minor touch-up. A cigar I’d try again and share with friends.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

“Overall, this was a very good cigar. Starting off medium and remained at a medium in strength and body throughout. The cedar and nutty flavors followed all the way through, along with the background of citrus. There were no major flavor transitions, and it stayed pretty steady throughout the full experience. Making for an enjoyable cigar. I would definitely recommend this cigar to others, and I am interested to see what it turns out to be.” –Angel M. (Angel)

“Admittedly this cigar was not my favorite. The construction issues proved to be minor and with a hand-crafted product as well as the incredible journey a cigar endures from the factory to the humidor imperfections are going to happen from time to time. What detracted from the experience for me was the one-dimensional start with flavors that just aren’t suited for my palate. Even though the flavors became significantly more dynamic and pleasant towards the end of the first third and throughout the second third where this smoke shined, everything became washed out and faded by the end and there just simply wasn’t enough great to overlook the mediocre. What this cigar did have going for it was a trouble-free and effortless smoking experience from start to finish which is always a major plus in my book. I’m all about second chances and would give this one another chance given the opportunity but I probably won’t be going out of my way to seek it out.” –Noah S. (Noah)

“This was an easy-to-appreciate cigar for me. The flavors were very satisfying and slowly shifted from start to finish, easily keeping me interested. The construction was absolutely on point too. I’m very curious to find out what this is so that I can add some to my summer lineup.” –Chris M. (Chris)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 67

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Los Statos Deluxe Robusto – Blind Cigar Review