Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Meerapfel Meir Robusto is between light and medium brown and has some darker spots. There are some decently raised veins present, the seams are a bit raised and the caps well applied. The band is holographic gold with the brand name on the front and well detailed cut-outs around the front. The aroma from the wrapper is a faint mix of wood and earth while the foot brings lightly sweet cedar and earth. The pre-light draw brings dry cedar and some floral notes.
Seth: The Meerapfel Meir Robusto is finished with a lovely band. The cigar itself has a nice Natural coloring to it, and sports small veins throughout. Faded lbrown with some light marbling. Firm throughout, the cigar has an aroma of fresh bread, cedar, light tobacco, fruits and spices.
John: The Meerapfel Meir Robusto does not come in cellophane and does not have a UPC sticker. The cigar features a single, ornate gold and white band that has a see through design so the wrapper shows through. Aromas from the wrapper included mild barnyard, sweet hay and wood. From the foot, I was getting only tobacco.
Jiunn: The Meerapfel Meir Robusto has an even Colorado maduro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight but visible, bunch and roll even and head is well wrapped and capped. Aromas from the wrapper tell of a pungent dry barnyard and spicy cedar. Aromas from the foot give sweet natural tobacco and cigar ash. Cold draws reveal aged cedar.

Team Cigar Review: Meerapfel Meir Robusto

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar and earth. At a quarter inch in, a mild black pepper joins the profile. At a half inch in, some light floral notes appear. The retrohale is toasted cedar with light earth and a very faint floral note. As the third comes to a close, the profile is toasted cedar up front, with earth in the middle and light black pepper and floral notes in the background. The strength was slightly below medium.
Seth: The first third starts out with some lovely cedar notes that are paired with sweet spices. Bits of cloves and white pepper present. Light tobacco qualities along with some coffee and cream notes. Medium in strength and body.
John: The first third opens with a combination of spices, graham cracker and wood. I would rank the flavor intensity at medium. A lingering wood begins to coat the palate on the post draw as it settles. Creamy tobacco comes through on the retrohale as there’s some citrus on the front of my tongue. Earth comes through at the end of the draw, and chocolate adds to the complexity on the retrohale. By the time the cigar has reached the halfway point, some creamy, tannic wood is present on the profile.
Jiunn: The first third provides a plethora of natural sweetness. There’s a hyper sweet dried walnut going on. The bitter and leathery skin of dried walnuts is also spot on. Retrohaling gives a nose tingling dried red pepper spice. The finish is long with the same bitter and leathery dried walnut skin. Strength is medium-full and body is medium.

Team Cigar Review: Meerapfel Meir Robusto

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the earth moves closer to the front of the profile. The retrohale is now toasted cedar, earth and mild black pepper. At three quarters of an inch in, the overall profile is fairly dry. At an inch and a quarter, a light vegetal note joins the profile. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is just ahead of the earth with black pepper, floral and vegetal notes in the background, The strength bumped up to medium.
Seth: The second third showed an increase in the sweetness and it had this lovely honey cream quality with the sweet sugar spice. Cloves, cinnamon and white pepper present. Bits of tobacco, coffee, cedar and earth as well. Medium in strength and body.
John: Creamy, sweet graham cracker leads off the second third, as tobacco and a light-plus earth comes through on the finish. Once the second third has settled in, baking spices move into the middle of the profile at light-plus strength. Nearing the halfway point, some earth comes through at the end of the draw.
Jiunn: The second third’s flavor profile is not as enjoyable as the first third. The already mentioned bitter and leathery aspects of dried walnuts is now too pervasive, diminishing the naturally sweet and creaminess of dried walnuts. Strength and body is unchanged at medium-full and medium, respectively.

Team Cigar Review: Meerapfel Meir Robusto

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper has departed. At a half inch in, the toast level increases and a slight wood bitterness becomes present. The retrohale is now toasted cedar, earth and wood and vegetal bitterness. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted cedar is just ahead of the earth with wood and vegetal bitterness and some floral notes in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The final third delivers this mushroom quality that was paired with the cedar, tobacco and white pepper spice. Less sweetness in this third. Barnyard qualities present as well. Earthiness on the finish. Again, medium in strength and body.
John: The last third starts with creamy earth and a dry wood as well. As the last third continues, an earth component comes in, eventually leading the profile with wood in the center of the profile.
Jiunn: The final third mimics the second third in every way. Still overly bitter and leathery tannins, not allowing the sweetness and creaminess of the dried walnuts to shine. Strength is still medium-full, and body is still medium.

Team Cigar Review: Meerapfel Meir Robusto

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy in the first third and then straight the rest of the way. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: Nearly a perfect burn throughout.
John: The burn had some minor unevenness through the first and second thirds, and a straight burn through the last third. As no intervention was required, the burn was rated as amazing.
Jiunn: Amazing burn performance. Even burn, tight ashes, cool burning temperature and ample smoke production.

Team Cigar Review: Meerapfel Meir Robusto

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Great draw. Beautiful level of resistance.
John: The draw was in the perfect zone between open and resistant.
Jiunn: Amazing draw performance as well, giving the best balance of air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar and earth. A mild black pepper joined in fairly quickly and a floral note a bit later. The second third saw a vegetal note join in. The final third saw the pepper depart and a wood bitterness join in and team up with the vegetal note. The Meerapfel Meir Robusto had a nice start, but in the second third, the cedar and earth were dominant and created an overall dryness that took things down a notch. The cigar maintained an average profile the rest of the way. Overall, the cigar was too dry and needed some sweetness or creaminess to battle the dry core notes. I’d like to see what the other vitolas offer, but with such a high price point, it deters me.
Seth: The Meerapfel Meir Robusto is a good cigar and a good Cameroon release. I would definitely smoke these again, and I would try the cigar out in a different vitola while coming back to this size as well. This is an expensive and limited release though, so I am not going to go crazy with purchasing. The truth is, there are other Cameroons out on the market. This is really nice, but there are good Cameroons you can purchase regularly. Lovely cigar with nice flavors. Enjoyable throughout. Would love to know the blend.
John: The Meerapfel Meir Robusto provided a rich and engaging flavor experience for the cigar review that was fairly restrained in terms of strength, sitting around the medium level. The burn was wavy at times but required no intervention, and the draw was perfect. It was great to have the opportunity to smoke and review the Meerapfel Meir Robusto, but the price point would likely dissuade me from smoking another one any time soon. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 48 minutes.
Jiunn: Meerapfel is famous for procuring true African Cameroon wrapper. So when I saw that they were making their own branded cigars, obviously there was much excitement (yes, even at the crazy $42 price point). But after smoking the Meerapfel Meir Robusto, past the initial first third, the wonderful contrast of spice and sweetness fell pretty hard on its head. A miss no doubt, but I’ll still be curious for future releases.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$7.00

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

7.07

Cost/Point

$5.94

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$6.16

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$6.89

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Meerapfel Meir Robusto