The Smoke This Trust Me Habano Robusto is a good cigar. The flavor profile is lovely from beginning to end, and the profile itself has nice components. It was balanced and complex. There was not a lot of transitioning throughout the cigar, but there was enough complexity to provide for a good smoking experience. Great burn and draw as well, which helps in an easy smoking experience.
The Black Works Studio Boondock Robusto had a nice start, with a bold mix of toasted oak, dark earth and black pepper. The pepper began to fade as the cigar went along and with the earth moving to the front of the profile with the oak, it took a step down in the second third and maintained that level the rest of the way. The overall profile was pretty linear from the second third on.
The La Aurora Family Creed Series Perseverancia Box-Pressed Robusto is a good little cigar, and I don’t think I would have this blend in another vitola. The cigar would either lose its qualities with a larger ring gauge and/or be too much for me to even smoke. Great flavors of rich earth, leather, warm spices and pepper.
The Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary Rothchilde is an overall great cigar being candy like in sweet and creaminess with balancing earthiness and spice. But whomever the QC team is for this company needs a talking to. There's no reason to apply such an ugly cap to an overall good looking cigar.
The CAO Surplus Maduro Robusto had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around earth and toasted cedar. The black pepper built up as the cigar went along and the creamy cocoa was a nice touch. While this isn't a cigar I'd come back to with any real frequency, this is a fantastic bundle and budget cigar. The score matches up with many cigars that are priced 5 to 10 times what this costs. If you are a smoker on a budget, you'd be hard pressed to find a cigar that performs better than this at around the two dollar mark.
The Montecristo White Series Rothchilde started well, with a full combination of flavors, but took a step down in the second third as the pepper mellowed and some wood bitterness joined in. It took another step down in the final third as the wood bitterness ramped up and the toast became very heavy. Overall, a cigar that started with promise, but degraded through each third. The price is pretty high for the offering, but regardless of that, just based on flavor profile, not something I'd really see myself coming back to.
The Micallef White Robusto is a decent smoke. Yes, I would smoke it again, but it’s not something I would go crazy over or really seek out to keep in my humidors. The flavor profile is consistent from beginning to end, just enough complexity to keep my interest, and has amazing construction and burn. Honestly, with a cigar like this, it comes down to the price. If it’s somewhat affordable, I would approach this cigar in the future.
The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback Robusto delivers a satisfying profile with enough balance and flavor development to earn a Good rating. It may not push the boundaries of complexity, but it offers a dependable and enjoyable experience that showcases the rustic, earthy style often associated with the Umbagog line.
In order for a sweet tip cigar to work for my palate, it needs to be subtly integrated into the profile. For this Sarzedas Robusto, it wasn't. The synthetic sweet tipped vanilla and creme brûlée combination was too palate dominant to the more traditional cigar flavors of cedar wood, leather, dirt and nuts. The integration didn't work and it tastes like having two distinct profiles. Easy pass for me.
The La Flor Dominicana Double Claro No. 50 had a nice start, with hay, in all its iterations, actually enhancing the profile. It took a step down in the second third as the earth increased, and remained that way for the rest of the cigar. While I wouldn't put in the small group of top tier candelas on the market, it is better than most. I'd be open to trying this in another vitola to see how it compares.