Blind Cigar Review: PDR 1878 | Cubano Especial Short Run Rothschild Habano

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.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Toro

Length: 6″

Ring Gauge: 54

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Wrapper: Habano

Binder: Dominican Republic

Filler: Dominican Republic

Factory: PDR Cigars

Blender: Abe Flores

Number of reviewers: 5 —– Ron (shuckins) Will (Dubv23) Sandeep (Djangos) Myles (MylesT) Derek (StogieNinja)

MSRP: $6.75

Contributed by: Thompson Cigars

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 92

Aroma: 91

Construction: 92

“Very nice. Tan leather with light variations. Veins and seams are flat, and the triple cap is perfect.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

“Very nice cocoa, nutmeg and cedar smell” –Ron (shuckins)

“Feels firm throughout the length of the cigar. Triple capped. No major flaws are noticed.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

First Third

Flavor: 88

Strength: Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium

“Wood, leather, black pepper and a savory spice that coats the palate. Cloves and nutmeg are prevalent on the retrohale. About an inch in, the sweetness is much stronger, like a simple syrup, the dry wood becomes cedar, and the smoke is much creamier. Nuts, cedar, simple syrup and baking spices, with an underlying savory spiciness. Towards the end of the first third, the baking spices have changed to citrus and tea leaves, like an orange tea. The pepper and savory spice have mellowed quite a lot, but are still present.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

“A little peppery at the beginning with a heavy dose of cedar. As the pepper toned down a bit, it left behind a dry cedar smoke with a splash of anise, which is how the first third ended.” –Ron (shuckins)

Second Third

Flavor: 89

Strength: Mild-Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium

“The second third begins with a mildly sweet, rich tobacco core, leather, cedar and the citrus and herbal notes mentioned before. Dry wood and nuttiness are brought out in the retrohale, though the smoke is much drier than before. As I approach the end of the second third, the black pepper continues to fade in and out, and a malted milk chocolate appears, even as the citrus tea has receded. The cigar tone is warming, bringing with it a toasted nuttiness, and the sweetness is reminiscent of roasted marshmallow.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

“Somewhat of an almond thing going on, here…it reminds me somewhat of granola and almond milk. Unfortunately, the flavor is really mild, so it doesn’t quite satisfy.” –Myles (MylesT)

Final Third

Flavor: 89

Strength: Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium

“Strength picks up and the flavors are more powerful. The spice and pepper is still the main player but a heavy wood profile emerges and the zest hangs on well after each puff. I would call the flavors rich as they were powerful, stood out on their own and coated the palate.” –Will (Dubv23)

“The cigar has really found its balance now. The profile is much warmer in tone, the savory spice is mild, but present on the lips, and the malted chocolate and nutty overtones are balanced nicely by the very mild citrus tea flavors. A wonderfully satisfying end to a plot filled with twists and turns.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 93

Burn: 93

“Draw was far too open initially, but at about an inch in, became satisfactory, though still loose. Fortunately the smoke billowed freely, so each puff was like sipping from a hookah. By the middle, the draw becomes perfect, offering a perfectly slight resistance.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

“Pretty darn even. Stayed on course, was a clean line and didn’t require any touch up.” –Will (Dubv23)

Overall Strength: Medium

Overall Body: Medium

Overall Experience: 89

“Nice, well rounded cigar with flavors that pleased my palate. I would definitely smoke another one.” –Ron (shuckins)

“This was a pretty good smoke. The profile wasn’t as strong and lacked qualities that I desire in my everyday smokes but it presented a nice array of flavor that was complex and entertaining. There were qualities that reminded me of the habanos profile but at the same time brought more spice to the table than I’m used to from a Cuban cigar. Then again it may not be a Cuban… I had no idea. It would be a cigar I looked for again as I feel it would do well as an early in the day smoke and would be a great compliment to my morning coffee.” –Will (Dubv23)

“Mostly the flavors are very pleasant and earthy in nature but I feel that a few more sweeter flavors would have lifted this from a good to a great cigar. I would definitely give it another try with possibly more age on it the next time. The burn and smoke are really exceptional on this cigar.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

“It was…Meh. I didn’t dislike it at all, it just sort of failed to make a real impression on me. And it took forever to smoke!” –Myles (MylesT)

“The cigar really hit its stride in the second half, and I can’t help but wish it had found that perfect balance earlier on. That being said, the cigar was enjoyable, complex and held my interest throughout. I’ve mentioned often in my reviews that I generally prefer my cigars in either the Cuban profile or else in the dark and rich category, but for a change of pace I would gladly pick one of these up again. A great smoke.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 90

Total Score: 90 (Very Good)

Link to full scores and notes: Full Notes

Blind Cigar Review: PDR 1878 | Cubano Especial Short Run Rothschild Habano