Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto is medium tan with a hint of green to it and some lightly raised veins. The seams are smooth and the caps very well applied. There is a green tobacco leaf used as a sleeve that covers the foot and runs up to the blue and gold band that denotes the line. The aroma from the wrapper is a faint combination of hay and cedar while the foot brings cedar and bread. The pre-light draw brings cedar and a rose floral note along with a light spice on the tip of my tongue and lips.
Seth: I don’t need the leaf covering the cigar, but it’s a cool look. What I also appreciate is that when you remove the leaf, you are left with a beautiful Connecticut wrapper and a nice-looking band that matches. Few veins present throughout, the Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto is firm in hand. Claro to Natural coloring. Aromas of tobacco, hay, earth and sweet spices.
John: The Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto does not come in cellophane, and has a UPC sticker attached to the candela tobacco leaf that is used to wrap half of the cigar. There is a single band indicating The Oscar. I weighed the cigar at 12.2 grams and the humidity as measured with the HumidiMeter Pro was 61.5%. Aromas from the wrapper were sweet tobacco, green vegetal and a mossy wood. From the foot, I picked up sweet tobacco, bread and wood. All aromas were done after removing the candela tobacco leaf.
Jiunn: The Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto has swagger with its candela colored condom. Pulling off the condom reveals a fragile, uniformed golden brown Colorado Claro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Aromas from the wrapper tell of sweet hay and nuts. Aromas from the foot reveal black pepper spice and nuts. Cold draw gives dehydrated vegetables and sweet roasted nuts.

Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar and toasted hay with some black pepper a bit behind. At a quarter inch in, the black pepper ramps up and a light earthiness joins the profile. The retrohale is a near mirror image of the mouth draws, with the black pepper providing a significant zing to my nostrils. At an inch and a quarter, some mustiness joins the profile. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar and hay are just ahead of the black pepper, with earth a bit further behind and mustiness in the background. The strength was slightly above medium.
Seth: The first third starts out with a classic cream and earth profile that has a sharp, sweet spice. Pepper with some graham cracker notes. Hay and cedar flavors are present as well with some tobacco. Medium in strength and body. Balanced.
John: My initial flavor impressions are bread and wood at mild strength with a medium strength cinnamon in the middle of the profile. A delayed medium spice comes through on the post draw after a few puffs. I’d describe the center of the profile as Mexican hot chocolate with intense spices on the post draw. The spices do recede down to light-plus by roughly an inch in.
Jiunn: The first third’s flavor profile is THE way a Connecticut shade should taste. Sweet in nature with sweet bread and naturally sweet roasted nuts, adding in some dry grassiness and accented by a dash of dried red pepper spice. Want more spice? Simply retrohale. The finish is easy going with cedar and toast. Strength and body is medium.

Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the earth picks up as the black pepper mellows a bit. At a half inch in, the earth is now even with the toasted cedar and hay up front. The retrohale remains a mirror image of the mouth draws but the black pepper no longer brings a zing with it. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar, hay and earth are even up front, with the black pepper a bit behind and mustiness in the background. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The second third delivers a continuation of the first third. Still medium in body and strength, the cigar delivers this creamy cedar quality with hay, tobacco, earth and peppery spices. More pepper spice in this third. Graham cracker quality present as well.
John: The second third opens with baking spices, sweet tobacco and bread with some up tempo medium spices lingering into the post draw and staying between each puff. Chocolate comes into the middle of the profile as it settles. By the bottom half, cinnamon is present on the post draw.
Jiunn: The second third went flat. Vast majority of the sweetness is gone. But the other notes of spice and grassiness are still at the same levels. It almost feels like the chef forgot to put salt in the dish. Strength and body remains medium.

Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper mellows a bit. At a half inch in, a vegetal note joins the middle of the profile. The retrohale is now a musty mix of toasted cedar, hay and earth with light black pepper. At an inch in, the vegetal note has mellowed a bit. As the cigar comes to a close, the toasted cedar, hay and earth are even up front, with the black pepper and vegetal note a fair distance behind and light mustiness in the background. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third delivers a flavor profile that is more mineral and spice forward. Still plenty of cedar, cream and hay, but the pepper spices and mineral earth qualities are more prevalent. A little over medium in strength and body, the cigar still has a cool finish.
John: The last third begins with tobacco, wood and sweet bread with medium strength wood at the end of the draw that carries into the post draw. The profile is quite consistent as it continues with no flavor changes to remark on for the remainder of the last third.
Jiunn: Nothing all that noteworthy to talk about within the final third. Still the same blend of dry grass and dried red pepper spice. The softer flavors are a distant past. Strength and body finish the same medium.

Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout and the ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: Amazing burn from start to finish. Perfect.
John: The burn is wavy through the first third but straightens out. The burn is straight for the remainder of the review.
Jiunn: Burn performance was perfect. Even burn, ample smoke production, tight ashes and cool burning temperature.

Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Perfect draw.
John: The draw is one notch into the resistant spectrum which puts it in the ideal range for an amazing draw.
Jiunn: Draw performance was on point, providing the ideal balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar and toasted hay with some black pepper a bit behind. Some earthiness joined in fairly quickly and some mustiness a bit later. The second third saw the components move around in fullness. The final third saw a vegetal note join in. Construction was absolutely perfect. The Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto had an average flavor profile throughout. The body and strength levels were higher than the traditional Connecticut shade offerings out there. Overall, the flavor profile wasn’t all that exciting. This might be a good cigar for those that aren’t traditional Connecticut shade smokers but want to try one that’s closer to their fuller bodied regular rotation cigars. It’s just not a cigar I’d see myself really coming back to.
Seth: This Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto was a great Connecticut blend. Balanced with a great core flavor profile from start to finish. Not overly complex, or showing a lot of transitioning, but this is an affordable cigar. The construction was perfect as well, so this was an easy and effortless smoke. No complaints. Nice creamy, earth, wood and sweet spice flavor profile.
John: I enjoyed the review of the Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto through the first and second third, with a range of intensity from light to medium-full but settling at medium. The last third was still pleasant but wasn’t quite as dynamic for me as the previous thirds. The draw and burn were both perfect. I’d smoke an Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto again. The flavors are enjoyable, the burn performance was great and the price point is reasonable. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 56 minutes.
Jiunn: This Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto is a blend for CA (if you know what I mean, wink wink). If the profile was anything like the first third consistently throughout, I would have called it Connecticut Shade of the year. What a miss. Please blend for DP, not CA.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$2.05

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.73

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.73

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.93

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Oscar Valladares The Oscar Connecticut Robusto