Vital Stats:

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.

Vitola: Robusto

Length: 5″

Ring Gauge: 54

Country of Origin: United States

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Binder: Sumatra

Filler: Nicaragua

Factory: Guillermo Pena Factory, USA

Blender: Guillermo Pena

Number of reviewers: 5—–Sandeep (Djangos) Ron (shuckins) Gregg (McGreggor57) Derek (StogieNinja) Jason (bigslowrock)

Price: $11.60

Age: 3 Months

Release Date: 2013

Contributed by: Paul Stulac

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 88

“Dark brown robusto sized cigar. The surface is rough and slightly uneven but well made. The veins are visible but not very prominent to touch.” – Sandeep (Djangos)

Aroma: 91

“Really nice and inviting earthy tobacco aroma and flavor to the prelight draw.” –Jason (bigslowrock)

First Third

Flavor: 89

Strength: Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium

“An earthy leather with light pepper taste on light up. Rich coffee flavor came to the front, soon bringing a bit of creaminess with it as it blended with a touch of leather. The earthy taste stayed around, providing a nice balance to the kick from a hit of pepper.” –Ron (shuckins)

“The first few puffs were pepper filled for sure before settling into some nice burnt coffee and charred oak. The draw is wide open allowing a background note of nuts and bitter baking spices to join the fun.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Second Third

Flavor: 88

Strength: Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium

“This is an interesting third. A hint of cherry shows up from time to time and smooths out some of the rustic flavors only to disappear and allow the burnt coffee and oak to power up again. Just when I think the spice on the retro is gone, it jumps up at the very end and stings the tip of my nose.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“Into the second third, the tobacco gains a little richness, which is needed. There’s still a slight pepper harshness at the back of the throat, but up front there’s rich tobacco, oak, chestnuts and leather. It’s still a bit bitter, but that dark tobacco flavor makes it worth it. The flavors have gained complexity, but they’re still a bit muddled.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Final Third

Flavor: 88

Strength: Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“More wood flavors come through as it nears the end. The pepper kicked it up a notch, chasing some of the creaminess away. The coffee kept it’s rich taste,as the leather turned dry and faded a bit at the very end.” –Ron (shuckins)

“The harshness fades. This is the best third, but that’s not a hard bar to clear. This third has some nice creaminess and wood going on, but unfortunately that vegetable flavor is still there.” –Jason (bigslowrock)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 95

“A great draw, offering a slight resistance. Never any issues.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Burn: 89

“This cigar had a great burn. No touchups or relights. Razor sharp burn.” –Jason (bigslowrock)

Construction: 90

“Based on the draw and the burn, I’d give it a very good rating for construction.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Overall Strength: Medium

Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

Overall Experience: 86

“Overall the flavors were not in my profile since I do not enjoy bitterness and a lot of pepper. I wish more of the coffee and sweeter flavors had come through. Also, the wrapper issues prevented me from smoking the whole thing.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

“Although not too dimensional,I enjoyed the flavors the cigar had.” –Ron (shuckins)

“The first 2/3’s would cause me to smoke this cigar again if offered. It was a pretty beefy cigar that would work well following a big meal. The flavors were OK but not a lot of interest. The final third was a let down for me.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“Disappointing overall. When the cigar finally hit it’s stride, it was too little, too late. I had hoped for more robust flavor and richness, but that didn’t happen until the end. I do wonder if additional down time might help.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

“This was a well put together cigar, but my palate didn’t agree with what was put in there. The one that I smoked for this review was a dog rocket.” –Jason (bigslowrock)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 63

Total Score: 89 (Good)

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To view the complete scores and notes, click here.