Initial Thoughts
Siz gave me this cigar to review and seeing that it’s mostly made (if not entirely made) in Nicaragua, I LOVE that. I can’t say enough good things about the cigars and tobacco coming out of Nicaragua right now. So consistent and so flavorful.
Since ‘Robaina’ was a part of the name, I’m sure Alejandro Robaina’s family is involved with this cigar somehow. Anything that man’s name is on is something I’ll smoke.
On this particular review, it was late morning on a Sunday. It was one of the nicest days we’ve had in a while in Nashville. 70 degrees and sunny so I decided to take advantage and setup shop on my deck. I had a bold coffee (that I actually brought back from Estelí, Nicaragua) that was French pressed to accompany me with this cigar. Heaven? Yes.
Looks
There was a light brown wrapper covering this Herederos De Robaina that shined just a little in the sunlight. It reminded me of a faded brown leather jacket (that probably desperately needed some Armor All…the jacket, NOT the cigar, of course!).
The band was very simplistic. A black colored band served as the backdrop for gold writing. The name ‘Herederos’ made the top half of an oval and below that, ‘De Robaina.’ In the center of the oval was a staggered ‘HR’ and then on the left side of the oval, ‘Handmade’ and the right, ‘Nicaragua.’ There was also a small line on the bottom of the oval that was made up of small, gold tobacco leaves.
Function
The construction on this Robusto was very good. I noticed one small vein and there were no soft spots at all. There was a double cap at the head and the foot looked tightly packed with fresh tobacco.
Smelling the wrapper up and down I got a faint tobacco and spice smell and on the foot, some spice and cedar. Both areas of the cigar were very faint in smells.
After clipping the head with my Palio cutter, the draw came back just a little tight but produced a very nice flavor. I picked up a woody taste with some cedar and a nice spice that lingered on my tongue.
And so the journey began…
Smoking
I used my Lotus three-torch lighter to toast the foot of this Herederos De Robaina and immediately caught a nice whiff of a strong aroma (more on that later).
After taking in the first few puffs, the burn started out just a bit uneven but evened out quickly into the first third.
Throughout most all of this Herederos De Robaina, the ash was great! It reminded me of looking at a piece of charcoal after you’re done grilling and it’s been in the grill for 45 minutes or so. It was thick, white and solid.
The ash also hung on for the entire first third before it dropped as the burn continued to go even. I accidentally tapped the cigar on the arm of the chair I was sitting in on the deck so the second third ash dropped prematurely but it held on like a madman from the final third into the nub.
The actual smoke produced a medium amount of blue/white smoke and I got a light tobacco smell from the dancing lines the smoke made.
Just into the final third, the wrapper started coming undone slightly but it didn’t seem to affect the flavor or the burn.
Flavor
Initially, right after lighting this Herederos De Robaina, there was a ton of spice in the retrohale. Keep in mind, this is a medium-full bodied cigar and all I had in my stomach at 11am was one cup of coffee and some drool from the previous night’s sleep. I’m adventurous, though, so I welcomed the flavor and strength to get me going.
After the burn started on its journey, there was a chalky tobacco flavor and more of that woody flavor I got on the cold draw.
At the end of the first third a subtle sweetness showed up which balanced everything out very nicely. Woody, creamy and spicy. Went very well with the bold Nicaraguan coffee I was sipping on.
Into the second third, the initially present sweetness turned into more of a floral taste and at this point, I noticed that the overall taste in my mouth was very heavy and thick. It was like a milkshake. There was also a sweet, almost cedar taste…extremely balanced!
Halfway through the final third and into the nub, the spice in the retrohale diminished significantly. The flavor was similar to the second third; it was thick and creamy like heavy whipping cream.
Is It An Every Day Smoke?
I could smoke this cigar every day, yes. It was quite enjoyable.
Would I Buy A Box?
This is a box-worthy cigar, yes.
Conclusion
This Herederos De Robaina packed a punch and had some power to it as well. It was balanced and the spice was there but it wasn’t overpowering. I’d definitely have this cigar again and would love to learn more about what the blends are, etc. If anyone has info, I’m all ears!
If you can find this cigar, I’d recommend it. but try to have some breakfast first before lighting this guy up! 🙂
