Pre-light Experience

The light brown wrapper adorns the box pressed Cubariqueño Protocol Sir Robert Peel Natural and has well pressed veins. The seams are smooth and very well blended and the head has a well applied triple cap. There are three bands, with the primary band being gold and white and has a portrait of the man the cigar is named after. The secondary band is tucked under the primary and is burgundy and gold and denoting 1829. There is also a yellow foot ribbon. The aroma from the wrapper is a hay forward barnyard that has a fair amount of funk. The foot brings wood and stone fruit sweetness. The pre-light draw has this melon-like light sweetness along with some wood and a mellow spiciness on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The Cubariqueño Protocol Sir Robert Peel Natural has a nice soft press to the cigar and comes with a lovely marbled wrapper that is somewhere between Natural and Colorado in coloring. Light Rosado. It is silky in texture, smooth and oily and has a lovely triple cap. The cigar gives off an aroma of earth, wood, tobacco, sweet spices and faint black pepper notes.

Pre-light Experience

The Cubariqueño Protocol Sir Robert Peel Natural is a square pressed vitola with a yellow ribbon foot band and an ornate main band indicating Sir Robert Peel in white, against red, with white, gold and red highlights. Underneath that main band is a second band with gold on red. I won’t go into the level of detail on the band relating to the history of law enforcement, or the Protocol brand, but the band deserves careful study and appreciation. Nosing the wrapper, I picked up aged cedar and baking spices. In the foot, there is sweet tobacco and raisin.

Pre-light Experience

The Cubariqueño Protocol Sir Robert Peel Natural has a cafe medium brown wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and firm and the head is finished off with a deep layered cap. Aromas from the wrapper give strong cedar and barnyard. Aromas from the foot tell a mix of rich nuttiness and cedar alike. Cold draw gives cedar, cherry cordials and fresh red pepper spice.

First Third

The cigar begins with a fairly full profile of wood and baking spice. At a half inch in, the wood has mellowed but the baking spice is still quite full. The retrohale is also baking spice forward along with some wood and mustiness. At an inch in, the baking spice mellows slightly as some mustiness joins the profile. At an inch and a half, some char joins the profile while the baking spice is now fairly mellow. The strength in this third was right at medium.

First Third

The first third begins by giving off herbal spice notes that are paired with some leather, dry wood and manure. The finish is of black pepper and it has this old-school profile to it. I would classify the cigar as being medium in strength and the body is around a medium-full level with flavors being medium-full as well.

First Third

Powdered cocoa finishes the draw with cedar at the front of the profile. There is significant post draw cocoa with mild pepper and baking spices. Cedar and light cocoa carries through the retrohale, with the cocoa moving up to medium strength. The cigar definitely has a dessert like profile. As the cigar progresses, there is baked goods with baking spices and bready notes by the 20 minute mark. Mildly tannic cedar joins the post draw, along with some earthiness minutes later.

First Third

The first third gives a medium body and strength profile with flavors of fresh black pepper pop, cedar on the rear palate and nuts. Retrohaling broadens the profile as there is a consistent cherry note coming through. The finish is namely cedar, driven on the mid and rear palate.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the profile is lightly charred wood with mustiness and light baking spice. At a half inch in, the char has left the profile and the baking spice is quite faint. The retrohale now has a hickory note along with an equal level of mustiness. As the third comes to a close, the wood gains a light toast and mustiness is right behind. The strength has lightened up to be slightly below medium.

Second Third

When I get into the second third of the cigar, I see a little bit of complexity being added and there has been some transitioning. I am picking up those aged wood notes and it is paired with that leather and manure profile. There are some stronger tobacco notes present with that, and it has a soft spice and soft black pepper finish. Like before, the strength is around medium and the body and flavors are around medium-full.

Second Third

Bready on the retrohale with a light plus baking spice finish. Minutes later, cedar and earth with a lingering earth between draws. Citrus fills the middle of the flavor profile and bleeds into the post draw. In the bottom half, the post draw earth moves up to medium strength.

Second Third

The only difference between the first third and the second third is the considerable ramp up in strength. Now it is a solid medium plus (body still medium). In terms of flavors, no changes as it’s still a bounty of rich roasted nuts, fresh black pepper and spicy cedar.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the toast note leaves the wood while the mustiness remains just behind. At a half inch in, the mustiness has a slight lead over the wood. The retrohale is primarily mustiness along with a light wood note. At an inch in, a slight mintiness joins the profile. As the cigar comes to a close, the profile remained mustiness up front, wood slightly behind along with a faint mintiness. The strength in this third bumped back up to medium.

Final Third

I am in the final third now and the finish is fairly similar to that of the second third. I am picking up those aged wood notes and they are still paired with that leather, tobacco and manure profile. There is a faint bit of mocha present on the finish, and it is paired with some soft spices. As from the start, the cigar is medium in strength with a medium-full body and flavor level.

Final Third

The earth moves to the front of the profile in the last third. Bready notes on the retrohale are down to light, being pushed aside by the earth. Dry cedar joins the front of the retrohale. Once the cigar settles, post draw spices and cedar mixes in with the earth.

Final Third

The last third’s overall flavors gets a bit drowned out such that I am finding myself more focused on the strength. Further, the profile becomes a bit dry, needing to take more frequent sips of water.

Burn

The burn was slightly wavy and required one touch-up to keep everything in line. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.

Burn

The burn was solid throughout. It was never perfect, but it improved as the cigar moved on and with that a nice charcoal colored ash.

Burn

The burn is straight, but inexplicably goes out halfway through the first, requiring a re-light. The burn is slightly uneven in the second third but fixes itself. In the last third the burn is uneven again, eventually requiring a touch-up.

Burn

Perfect burn performance. Solid ashes, even burn, cool burning temperature and plenty of smoke production.

Draw

The draw was perfect with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

The cigar began quite full with wood and baking spice. Things mellowed as some toast and then char joined the wood and some mustiness also appeared. The cigar finished out with mustiness, wood and a slight mintiness. The construction was very good. Overall, the Cubariqueño Protocol Sir Robert Peel Natural was a bit out of balance in the first third and was average throughout. This is an interesting project as a more premium line for the brand, but I don’t feel the increased cost matched up with the experience. I am looking forward to the Maduro version to see if it can bring the elevated experience they were looking for from this offering.

Draw

I was really pleased with the draw on the cigar. It has a nice snugness that I could get behind which was present throughout.

Overall

Overall, the Cubariqueño Protocol Sir Robert Peel Natural is an enjoyable cigar. It has a flavor profile that I classify as being old-school or farm like, and it is a profile I typically get behind. At no point is the cigar too much in terms of strength and body, but instead compliments the flavors being delivered. With this cigar though, I felt they were missing a component to really take it to a higher level. I don’t want to say the cigar was lacking, because in the giant scheme of things it wasn’t, but it was just short from being at a really good level. It could use more in terms of depth and transitioning. I thought there was nice balance between strength, body and flavors, and with the samples I smoked I found a lot of consistency. The construction was on point from start to finish and it showed the excellent quality control and craftsmanship that comes out of La Zona. It is one of the better Cubariqueño blends I have smoked, probably my favorite, and it makes me very interested and excited in smoking the Maduro offering.

Draw

The draw is at most a half notch towards resistant. I would describe it as an ideal draw.

Overall

The Cubariqueño Protocol Sir Robert Peel Natural is one of the better cigars I’ve reviewed coming out of the 2019 IPCPR trade show. A complex list of flavors including powdered cocoa, pepper, baking spices, cedar, bread, earthiness and citrus. The strength seemed to hover around medium with the body settling at medium plus. Cubariqueno has managed to release a premium cigar, with premium packaging, that still manages to stay in the confines of their core flavor personality. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 44 minutes.

Draw

The draw was also perfect, giving the ideal air flow.

Overall

The Protocol guys call the Sir Robert Peel their most sophisticated release leaving no stone unturned. When I think about this comment, I would expect the same great regular production releases the guys have come out with thus far, but with greater complexities and transitions. What I received instead was no doubt another good regular production release in the Cubariqueño Protocol Sir Robert Peel Natural, but not to the level of sophistication as expected. The flavors are no doubt bolder than prior releases but it doesn’t have that X factor that is in level with the regal style of the packaging. I look forward to the maduro version to gauge the better of the releases.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.65

Cost/Point

$2.12

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$2.08

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.72

Cost/Point

$1.78

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.75

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Cubariqueño Protocol Sir Robert Peel Natural