Pre-light Experience

Seth: The Fratello Puro Collection 1821 Dominican Republic is a nice looking larger cigar. It has a dark wrapper that is maduro in coloring, and it sports this chocolate bar finish. Small to medium sized veins with a leather-like texture. It’s firm in hand, and gives off lovely aromas of chocolate, coffee, tobacco, rich earth and spices.
John: The Fratello Puro Collection 1821 Dominican Republic features a Colorado-colored wrapper and appears to be a larger Toro, with a ring gauge I’d estimate to be in the 54 to 56 range. I weighed the cigar at 25.4 grams and measured the humidity at 65.8% using the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included sweet tobacco, damp wood and underlying vegetal notes. From the foot, I picked up a combination of earthy sweet tobacco and wood.
Jiunn: The Fratello Puro Collection 1821 Dominican Republic has an even Colorado wrapper shade. Veins are decently pressed, seams tight but visible, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas present an awesome pungent barnyard.

Fratello Puro Collection 1821 Dominican Republic

First Third

Seth: The first third begins with rich earth, tobacco, warm spices and damp wood. The cigar smokes around a medium level for strength and body, and there are some cocoa notes present as well.
John: The first third opens with a fairly soft combination of sweet tobacco and wood. As the cigar settles in, medium-full strength pepper moves into the center of the retrohale and begins to linger into the finish. The first third continues with earthy tobacco entering the post draw at around medium-minus strength, followed shortly by tannic wood. Approaching the halfway point of the first third, chocolate moves into the center of the retrohale, providing some welcome complexity. Through the bottom half, the profile settles into sweet tobacco leading, followed by baking spices and wood, while spicy wood and earth define the post draw with the spices lingering between each puff.
Jiunn: The first third’s flavors are full of balance and distinction. There’s a great slick oiliness to the profile with flavors of creme brûlée, cedar, almonds and dried red pepper spice. Retrohaling gives a nice intense dried red pepper spice and softens it out with vanilla wafers. The finish is clean with lingering cedar. Strength and body is medium.

Fratello Puro Collection 1821 Dominican Republic

Second Third

Seth: The second continues to deliver those earth, tobacco, warm spice and damp wood notes. Bits of cocoa and leather are present, but it’s like the first third. Like before, medium in strength and body.
John: The second third begins with sweet tobacco and wood leading the profile, followed by a vegetal center and spices combining with dry wood through the finish. Earth returns to the post draw after a few puffs. As the second third progresses, the earthiness in both the finish and post draw increases to just above medium strength. The earth continues to intensify and eventually moves into the center of the profile as the cigar approaches the end of the second third.
Jiunn: The second third is a disappointing downgrade from the first third. Reduced flavor range and distinction with notes of cedar, wood tannins, minerals and black coffee. Sweet and creaminess is almost entirely gone at this point. Strength and body remains medium.

Fratello Puro Collection 1821 Dominican Republic

Final Third

Seth: The final third is in line with the first and second. It’s not a bad profile, but I am getting tired of this blend and large smoke. No change with the cigar.
John: The final third opens with tobacco, spices and heavy earth leading the profile. The earth intensifies through the finish and completely takes over the post draw. As the cigar progresses toward the halfway point of the final third, earth becomes the dominant flavor driver. Through the bottom half, an increasingly acrid quality develops within the earth notes, adding harshness and diminishing the balance that was present earlier in the smoking experience.
Jiunn: The final third is the same as the second third such that the sweetness and creaminess from the first third is almost entirely gone. What’s left is cedar, wood tannins, minerals and black coffee. Strength and body finishes the same medium.

Fratello Puro Collection 1821 Dominican Republic

Burn

Seth: The burn is perfect throughout the cigar.
John: Although the burn appeared as though it might stall during the first inch, it remained consistently straight through most of the review. The burn became mildly wavy in the final third but never required intervention. The ash held well, dropping in increments of just over one inch.
Jiunn: Perfect burn performance featuring an even burn, tight ashes, cool burning temperatures and ample smoke production.

Fratello Puro Collection 1821 Dominican Republic

Draw

Seth: The draw is amazing from start to finish.
John: The draw measured 34 inches of water on the Cigar Medics draw tester. Subjectively, it was at most a half-notch into the resistant spectrum, placing it comfortably within the ideal range between open and resistant.
Jiunn: The draw was also perfect, giving the ideal air flow and resistance.

Overall

Seth: The Fratello Puro Collection 1821 Dominican Republic is an average to good cigar. I would say it’s a good 60 ring gauge offering, but an average cigar overall. The flavors become redundant after the first half, and in the final third it becomes a little tiring. I would smoke this again if someone handed me one, but it is not a cigar I would seek out. Solid core flavors of earth, cocoa, earth and tobacco.
John: Blind Cigar #1564 starts with a profile that offers a respectable amount of complexity. The combination of sweet tobacco, wood, pepper, earth and the occasional chocolate note creates an experience that feels balanced through much of the first third. The pepper-driven retrohale provides some intensity, while the chocolate note adds a brief layer of richness that helps distinguish the cigar from more straightforward wood-and-earth profiles. The second third marks the beginning of a gradual shift toward earthier territory. While the sweet tobacco and wood remain present, earth increasingly takes center stage, slowly pushing the sweeter and more nuanced components into supporting roles. The profile remains enjoyable, but the progression feels like it is falling off as the profile gives way to heavier earth-driven flavors. Unfortunately, the final third continues that trend. Earth becomes overwhelmingly dominant, and the development of an acrid quality significantly impacts the balance of the profile. What began as a reasonably nuanced experience ultimately narrows into a combination of heavy earth and harshness, preventing the cigar from finishing on a strong note. From a construction standpoint, the burn is excellent despite briefly appearing at risk of stalling early on, and the draw falls squarely within the ideal range. In the end, the Fratello Puro Collection 1821 Dominican Republic delivers a promising first half supported by excellent construction, but its increasingly earth-heavy profile and acrid finish limit its overall appeal. While there are moments of complexity and balance early on, the cigar ultimately settles into average territory due to its lack of refinement as it continued. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 39 minutes.
Jiunn: I haven’t had a cigar where the transition from thirds (in this case first third to second third) created this much of a difference. The first third of the Fratello Puro Collection 1821 Dominican Republic was honestly pretty incredible. So good that it was nearing the “very good” score with flavors that were so full and distinct. But the second third (and final third) created a big downfall in enjoyment, shaving off the best parts of the first third. What a tease of a cigar.

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.99

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.40

Cost/Point

$3.37

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.99

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Fratello Puro Collection 1821 Dominican Republic