Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is light brown with a couple of raised veins present. The seams are nearly invisible as they are very well blended. The head appears to be finished off with two caps, one very deep and one very shallow. The band is the traditional Debonaire band and really has nothing that identifies the line which can be confusing across the lines. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of fresh cut hay and leather while the foot brings the same notes, just heavier on the leather. The pre-light draw is also leather along with some hay sweetness.

Pre-light Experience

The Debonaire Daybreak Robusto has a Claro to Colorado Claro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, uniformed bunch and roll with no soft spots and a well applied thick double cap. Aromas off the wrapper give hay, barnyard and wet earth. Foot aromas give light white pepper, cedar and hay. Cold draw tells hay and dry wood.

First Third

Things start off with a mix of light wood, some leather and a mild black pepper. After a few draws, the pepper morphs into more of a baking spice. At a half inch in, the retrohale is pretty heavy on the wood without any leather and just a bit of the spice. At an inch in, a light coffee note joins in with the wood and baking spice as the leather has gone away. As the third comes to a close, the profile becomes slightly drying with the wood up front and the coffee and baking spice in the background. The strength in this third was just below medium.

First Third

The first third delivers flavors of hay, creamed coffee and a creamy sweetened stone fruit note. Retrohaling the cigar introduces a subtle black pepper in addition to deeper notes of the creamed stone fruit and hay. The finish is mild-medium for both strength and body with flavors of subtle hay and bread.

Second Third

Getting into the second third, it’s much like the first with a slightly drying profile of wood, now more defined as cedar along with underlying notes of coffee and baking spice. At a half inch in, some mustiness joins in with the cedar creating a murky flavor profile which leaves things in an odd, but not bad mixture. After a few draws, that mustiness turns into a slightly bitter char that mixes with the wood. As the third comes to a close, the charred and slightly bitter wood remains up front while the coffee has left and a slight baking spice remains in the background. The strength in this third has moved up to medium.

Second Third

The second third holds fairly true to the first third aside from a couple changes: the profile picks up minerals and a faint white pepper on mouth draws. Overall, flavors still give mild-medium body and strength notes of hay, creamed coffee and the unique creamy sweetened stone fruit characteristic.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the charred wood is up front as the bitterness is less noticeable. The retrohale brings a slightly ashy wood note. At a half inch in, the bitterness increases again to be just slightly at a lower level than the charred wood. The baking spice is no longer noticeable. As the cigar comes to a close, the cigar begins to heat up which brings a toasty note to the wood and subdues most of the bitterness. The strength in this third bumped up to slightly above medium.

Final Third

Not much to note on the last third as the profile is for the most part the same as the second third. The body does move to a consistent medium (with strength still being mild-medium). In terms of flavors, still the same set providing bread, minerals, subtle white pepper, hay, creamed coffee and creamy and sweet stone fruit.

Burn

The burn was razor sharp the entire way. The ash only dropped once at the three inch mark.

Burn

Past the initial first inch (where there was a fairly major touch-up required), the burn performance was rock solid. Insane amount of smoke production, tight ashes, 1.5 inch ash increments, even burn, cool and slow burn rate.

Draw

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

Overall

I was interested to see what this Connecticut offering from Debonaire was going to be like. Things started off pretty mellow with light hints of wood, leather and pepper/baking spice, but after an inch or so settled into a steady cedar note the rest of the way which had some char and bitterness towards the end. Strength was right around medium the entire way. There wasn’t anything unique about the cigar, but I’m interested in trying a larger vitola to see if the experience differs. With the large amount of Connecticut shade cigars on the market right now, this doesn’t differentiate much from most of the pool, but it’s worth a try to see how it fits your palate. I’d like to try one in the morning with some coffee as I think this would really shine in that scenario.

Draw

Ideal amount of resistance and airflow. Perfect.

Overall

I find the Debonaire Daybreak Robusto to be a clean and nuanced flavor delivery. The notes although not overly complex, worked well together, giving an overall mild-medium body and strength, easy going flavor profile. I find it interesting that I’m saying this because almost all recently introduced Connecticut shade cigars are pumping in more spice and strength. Here’s an amusing tidbit. Inside the cigar band, there is a date stamp of October 21, 2007. I wonder if that’s when the band was created or when the actual cigar was rolled (I assume the first)?

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$2.17

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

7.07

Cost/Point

$1.76

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Debonaire Daybreak Robusto