Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Micallef Blue Robusto is light brown, has some lightly raised veins present and a fine toothiness. The seams are smooth and the caps are very well applied. The band is blue and gold and carries the company name and logo. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of dark earth, bakers chocolate, cedar and spice. The foot brings smoky cedar. The pre-light draw brings an airy mix of sawdust and stone fruit sweetness.
Seth: The Micallef Blue Robusto is silky in texture with aromas of rich earth, tobacco, spices and cocoa. It has a Natural coloring, with small veins throughout. Firm cigar. The coloring is that of antique brown furniture. Simple cigar in appearance, but solid overall. Band not over the top, but simple with the pricing. I would love for them to sharpen up the crest a little more.
John: The Micallef Blue Robusto comes in cellophane and has a UPC sticker with the cigar information and an integrated tear space to remain intact when opened. The cigar features a single band, and no artisanal complications. I weighed the cigar at 13.8 grams and measured the humidity at 63.4% with the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included a medium intensity barnyard, old wood and a background note of tobacco. Out of the foot, I was picking up faint hay, wood and sweet tobacco.

Micallef Blue Robusto

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with a slightly bitter toasted oak and some mild black pepper. At a quarter inch in, some mild earth joins the profile. At a half inch in, the bitterness has left the toasted oak. The retrohale is toasted oak, earth and mild black pepper. At an inch in, the earth is in the middle of the profile. As the third comes to a close, the profile is toasted oak up front, earth in the middle and black pepper in the background. The strength was slightly below medium.
Seth: The first third opens with some oak and smooth spices. Leather and tobacco notes are present as well with some peanut/nut qualities. Medium in strength and body.
John: My initial flavor impressions are wood, baking spices, nutmeg and then some dryness joining the wood as it teams up with earth through the finish. The profile seems fairly balanced and restrained through the settling in period. A sort of mossy, mushroom and earth component moves into the center of the retrohale. As the cigar continues towards the halfway point, the overall intensity slides below medium as sweet tobacco mixes in with the finish.

Micallef Blue Robusto

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the earth inches up a bit and the overall profile is now a bit dry. The retrohale remains toasted oak, earth and mild black pepper. At three quarters of an inch in, the toast level increases a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is slightly ahead of the earth with some black pepper in the background. The strength has bumped up to medium.
Seth: The second third is fairly in line with the first. Oak and smooth spice notes. Some pepper present. Leather and tobacco qualities with nuts as well. Still medium in strength and body.
John: The second third gets started with sweet spices, a mossy center, wood to follow evolving into dry wood into the finish. As the second third settles in, the post draw is defined by dry, lingering wood. Some mild chocolate breaks into the retrohale as the second third continues. There’s an overall dryness to the profile as the second third progresses towards the halfway point.

Micallef Blue Robusto

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, some light bitterness rejoins the toasted oak and the earth is now even up front with the oak. At three quarters of an inch in, the toast level is now pretty heavy and the black pepper has increased a bit. The retrohale is now an even mix of toasted oak, earth and black pepper. As the cigar wraps up, the heavily toasted and slightly bitter oak is even up front with the earth and the black pepper is in the middle of the profile. The strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third is identical to the second. Nice ending. Smooth cigar from beginning to end.
John: My initial flavor impressions here are savory spices at medium strength with dry wood and mildly tannic accents carrying into the post draw. A musty, vegetal center establishes itself as the cigar continues towards the halfway point. In the bottom of the third, a tannic post draw wood moves up to medium strength.

Micallef Blue Robusto

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout, but the cigar went out unexpectedly in the second third, requiring a re-light. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: The burn was fantastic from beginning to end.
John: The burn had some waviness in the first third, was straight in the second third and was straight in the last third.

Micallef Blue Robusto

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: The draw was great throughout.
John: The draw is at most one notch towards the resistant spectrum, which puts it in the ideal range for an amazing draw score.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with a slightly bitter toasted oak and some mild black pepper. Some mild earth joined in fairly quickly and the bitterness departed. The second third saw the profile become a bit dry as the earth was increasing. The final third saw the light bitterness return as the oaks toast level became very heavy. The Micallef Blue Robusto had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around toasted oak, earth and black pepper. Some slight transitions early and then pretty linear the rest of the way. Not bad for a low price, but not a cigar I’d see myself coming back to.
Seth: The Micallef Blue Robusto is a solid cigar. Nothing extraordinary, but a solid release. The blend was balanced with a nice flavor profile throughout. The price is fantastic as well! I have not smoked the entire Micallef portfolio, and this may be an affordable offering, but it’s a solid release. I would smoke this again and pick them up at an event. I’d buy a box or two for Rubin. Solid construction and draw as well. A good cigar.
John: The Micallef Blue Robusto started out with some interesting and engaging flavors in the first third, and as it progressed I found an increasing dryness and mustiness to the profile that held the overall experience back. I had a relatively straight burn through the review with a perfect draw. While at the PCA 2024 in Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to smoke a few of the Micallef Blue Robusto’s and I was impressed. I’m unsure why my experience at the review level is different, but I’d be interesting in circling back to these and also trying out the Toro in the future. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 53 minutes.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.65

Cost/Point

$1.24

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.03

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.15

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Micallef Blue Robusto