Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto is light brown with some lightly raised and knotty veins. The seams are smooth and the caps well applied. The band is red, brown and gold and denotes the brand and line names. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of wood and earth while the foot brings a syrupy stewed fruit along with some cedar. The pre-light draw has cedar slightly ahead of the stewed fruit along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: Lovely cigar that has this Natural and Colorado coloring. Reddish brown soil quality. Wrapper is smooth in texture, and the Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto sports few veins throughout. Those present are small in size. Aromas of cream, sweet earth, tobacco, leather and wood.
John: The Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto comes in cellophane, and has a UPC sticker that tears in half when the cellophane is opened. The cigar sports a single band. Aromas from the wrapper included sweet hay, wood and tobacco. From the foot, I was picking up sweet hay again, along with a faint raisin and tobacco combination.
Jiunn: The Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto has an even shaded Colorado wrapper. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll with a good give, head is well wrapped and capped. Aromas from the wrapper tell wet barnyard and beef jerky. Aromas from the foot gives ample white pepper spice and toasted nuts. Cold draw tells the same as the foot aromas.

Team Cigar Review: Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with lightly toasted cedar, dusty earth and some mustiness. The retrohale is toasted cedar and dusty earth. At an inch in, the earth is now just lightly dusty and right behind the toasted cedar up front. At an inch and a quarter, a light black pepper joins in. As the third comes to a close, the profile is toasted cedar just ahead of light, dusty earth with mustiness and black pepper in the background. The strength was just below medium.
Seth: The first third has that classic “quality” Honduran profile. Bits of earth, cream, hay and wood. Soft tobacco and peppery spice notes as well. Balanced cigar that is medium in strength and body.
John: The initial puffs are flavors of sweet hay, a nut and wood center combination and dry wood to finish. A faint, lingering spice and wood combination is developing, with the spices sitting on my lips through the post draw. As the first third progresses, minerality and earth come through the post draw. Some time later, an earthy coffee combination defines the center of the profile.
Jiunn: Plenty of sweet hay and roasted nuts on the first third. Retrohaling brings out a welcoming dried red pepper spice. The finish is on the shorter end, with lingering soft cedar. Strength and body is medium.

Team Cigar Review: Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the toasted cedar and earth are now even up front. At a half inch in, the black pepper becomes a bit fuller but is smooth. The retrohale is now toasted cedar and dry earth. At an inch in, a faint floral note becomes present. At an inch and a quarter, the black pepper is now very faint. As the third comes to a close, the profile is a very smooth combination of toasted cedar and earth up front with mustiness, black pepper and floral notes in the background. The strength remained at slightly below medium.
Seth: The second third is fairly in line with the first third. I am picking up some cream, hay, leather, tobacco and dry earth notes. Bits of pepper spice on the finish. Again, medium in strength and body. Dryer profile.
John: My initial impressions here are a mild, musty tobacco, with a sweet, dry hay middle and a mild, sharp wood to finish. A mild chocolate and wood breaks into the retrohale, with dryness joining the post draw. Hay and wood become the primary flavor drivers as the second third continues, dry hay and wood also combine through the post draw.
Jiunn: Much of the sweetness of hay and roasted nuts is lost within the second third. The profile has transitioned to stale cedar and hay. The inability for the cigar to reach more layers of flavors is making the experience dull and uneventful. Strength and body continues to be medium.

Team Cigar Review: Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the toasted cedar and earth aren’t as smooth as they were previously. The retrohale is now toasted cedar and dry earth with a light mustiness. At three quarters of an inch in, the floral note picks up a bit. As the cigar wraps up, the profile is toasted cedar and earth even up front with the floral note in the middle and black pepper and mustiness in the background. The strength bumped up to medium.
Seth: The dinal third is right in line with the second third. Solid finish that is smooth and creamy. Medium in strength and body.
John: The last third gets going with mild chocolate, wood, a dry wood center and sweetness finishing each draw. As the last third settles in, wood drives the post draw profile.
Jiunn: No major changes within the final third. The only difference being the stale cedar seeping into the finish. Aside from that, still pretty uneventful with stale cedar and hay. Strength and body finishes the same medium.

Team Cigar Review: Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto

Burn

Aaron: The burn line was slightly wavy at times, but never needed any attention and the ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: Uneven burn, but not a major problem.
John: The burn was straight through the first third, with flakiness to the ash. The burn became uneven in the second third, continuing into the last third where a touch-up intervention was required.
Jiunn: Solid burn performance. The only negatives being a couple quick touch-ups required to get the burn on track.

Team Cigar Review: Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Very nice draw.
John: The draw had quite a bit of resistance to it, roughly 3 to 3-1/2 notches into the resistant spectrum.
Jiunn: Ideal balanced of air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with lightly toasted cedar, dusty earth and some mustiness. A light black pepper joined in a bit later. The second third saw a floral note join in and it picked up a bit in the final third. Construction was close to perfect aside from a slightly wavy burn. The Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto had a fairly average profile throughout. The nice thing was how smooth the combination of flavors were, so it was a very easy smoking experience. With the low price point and how smooth it is, I could see coming back to it from time to time and I could see a lot of smokers liking this. Even though the EPC version scores slightly better due to a perfect burn, I’d probably come back to this one first.
Seth: I enjoyed the Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto, and love the price even more. Nice blend that was approachable at many times. Not overly complex, but what was delivered was really enjoyable. Solid from beginning to end.
John: The Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto had some promising flavor combinations in the first third, delivering a fairly light profile overall. Those combinations didn’t manage to harmonize through the second and last thirds, still delivering a light profile but with a profile that didn’t stand out or engage me through the review process. The burn was almost perfect with a touch-up required in the last third. The draw was fairly resistant, although it didn’t seem to impact the burn in any way. There isn’t much here in the way of experience that would make me want to take a second pass at this cigar. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 37 minutes.
Jiunn: The Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto is another classic case of start strong and let me down the rest of the way. The first third gave me hope, giving a nice two layers of sweet and earth. But the latter two thirds became single layered in just namely wood and grassy earth that I didn’t care as much for. On a plus side, the lower price point is very attractive and should attract a good amount of cigar guys.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.65

Cost/Point

$1.50

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.47

Cost/Point

$1.31

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.55

Cost/Point

$1.53

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$1.42

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Cuba Aliados Original Blend Robusto