Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Rojas KSG is milk chocolate brown with some lightly raised veins and fine tooth. The majority of the foot is covered with folded over wrapper. The seams are easily visible as they are raised a fair amount. The head has a double cap that is finished off with a small flag. There are two bands with the primary being black and gold and carrying the company logo. The secondary strip band is red with gold letters designating the line. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of damp wood and damp earth. I don’t get anything different from the mostly covered foot. The pre-light draw is pretty light and carries a mix of wood and leather.

Pre-light Experience

The Rojas KSG is oily to the touch and firm as well. The wrapper has a beautiful maduro coloring, great shine present and it is sporting small veins throughout. It has this chocolate raisin coloring to it which is fantastic and I am picking up an aroma of rich earth, tobacco and chocolate on the wrapper. The foot is giving off similar notes on the closed foot and I am looking forward to lighting up this cigar.

Pre-light Experience

The Rojas KSG has a UPC sticker designed to stay intact when the cellophane is opened. The cigar is doubled banded with simple, but classy, Rojas primary band and a red KSG secondary band. The cigar also features a pigtail complication, along with a closed foot. Aromas from the cigar include sweet baking spices, graham cracker, wood and a general vegetal note. From the closed foot, I was still able to pick up sweet tobacco, earth and wood.

Pre-light Experience

The Rojas KSG has a beautiful uniformed maduro wrapper shade. Veins are neatly pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll on the loose end and the flared cap has a deep triple wrap. Aromas from the wrapper and enclosed foot tell wet gym socks (in the nicest way possible), cedar and hay. Cold draw gives cedar and hay.

First Third

The cigar begins with rich earth, baking spice and wood. At a half inch in, the wood is up front, with the earth slightly behind. The baking spice has transitioned to black pepper and a light mustiness has joined the profile. The retrohale is musty wood. At an inch in, the wood and mustiness are even up front with the earth and black pepper in the background. At an inch and a half, all of the components are even. As the third comes to a close, the musty wood and earth are even up front with the black pepper slightly behind. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

First Third

The first third opens up by delivering some dark earth and dark cocoa notes. It is not overly sweet, but you can pick up the cocoa powder qualities. There is some damp tobacco and wood flavors present as well, and the finish is of currants, minerals and spices. I would describe the cigar as being medium in strength and body.

First Third

My first few puffs bring flavors of intense baking spices at medium-full, with lingering baking spices and wood on the finish and post draw. Creaminess joins the retrohale after a few puffs, and then shortly after graham cracker. As the first third settles in, earth joins at the end of each draw. Cocoa moves into the middle of the profile, and some sweet citrus adds complexity. In the bottom half, earth moves into the post draw as well.

First Third

The first third is full of tasty flavors. Semi-sweet chocolate is the front runner with nuanced red pepper spice and cedar as a follow up. Retrohaling brings fuller flavors of red pepper spice, creamy bread and nuts. The finish is fairly long with a lingering cedar and soft pepper on the rear palate. Strength and body is medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, it maintains the musty wood and earth up front with black pepper slightly behind. At three quarters of an inch in, the musty wood is up front with the earth and black pepper slightly behind. The retrohale is musty wood with light earthiness. At two inches in, the black pepper has departed from the profile. The strength in this third remained at slightly below medium.

Second Third

The second third shows a little bit of transitioning from the first third, but not much. I am picking up stronger pepper spice notes in this third, but they are still pairing with the currants, earth and cocoa powder qualities from before. I am getting some damp wood as well and the cigar continues to smoke at a medium level for strength and body.

Second Third

Earth, cedar and lingering earth into the post draw define the start of the second third. Bread joins the retrohale almost immediately, as lingering cedar moves into the post draw. Baking spices and bread combine by the halfway point, as lingering baking spices and earth sit on the post draw. Creaminess joins the retrohale as the second half progresses.

Second Third

The second third continues the full flavored experience. The red pepper spice increases, but not in a way that overshadows the other flavors. There’s a roasted coffee note that joins the profile along with the existing semi-sweet chocolate, creamy bread and cedar. Strength and body remains medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the musty wood gains a slight char and the earthiness remains in the background. The retrohale remains musty wood and light earthiness. At an inch in, the char has picked up a bit. At an inch and a half in, the wood gains a slight bitterness. As the cigar comes to a close, the cigar maintains the profile of musty and charred wood with light bitterness and earthiness in the background. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.

Final Third

The final third attempts to show the qualities of the second third but fails in so many ways. I am really just picking up cocoa and earth qualities with touches of pepper. Like the second third, the cigar is smoking at a solid medium level.

Final Third

Bread and baking spices combine into the last third. Cedar settles into the middle of the profile. As the cigar progresses, citrus joins the cedar to provide some complexity. Approaching the halfway point, bread and cedar are driving the profile with light earth finishing each draw.

Final Third

The final third bumps up the strength to medium plus (body still medium). That’s the only change though. The profile is still increased red pepper spice with roasted coffee, creamy bread and cedar to follow.

Burn

The cigar went out three times in the first third and required re-lights. After that, the burn was trouble free. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.

Burn

The burn was really solid throughout the entire lancero. While the ash did not hold on for a long period of time, I tend to not try to hold onto the ashes of Lanceros.

Burn

The ash consistently held to 1-1/2 inches and then would drop on cue. Unfortunately, the cigar went out at the halfway point, requiring a re-light, and then went out a second time, approximately 10 minutes later, requiring a second re-light.

Burn

The burn was almost perfect. Just some minor deductions for a couple quick touch-ups.

Draw

The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.

Overall

The cigar began with rich earth, baking spice and wood. Fairly quickly, the baking spice transitioned to black pepper and a light mustiness joined the profile. The second third saw the black pepper drop out at the very end. The final third saw some char and light bitterness join in. Construction was pretty good aside from the cigar frequently going out in the first third. Strength was slightly below medium most of the way. The Rojas KSG was pretty nice through the first two thirds and then dropped to average in the final third when the char and bitterness joined in. This is a very flavorful Lancero. The flavor was very full with a low strength level which is nice to see. I’d definitely be up for smoking more of these and would be interested to see if the flavor profile is even better if it could dodge the re-lights in the first third.

Draw

I loved the draw on this lancero and how it smoked from beginning to end.

Overall

Overall, I was truly disappointed with the Rojas KSG. I thought the blend was lacking and the attempt they made to focus on some cool tobacco in the blend was not delivered in this vitola offering. The wrapper overwhelmed the blend and it did not deliver a profile that was complex and worthy of being focused on. There was little transitioning, and while the flavors went well with the strength and body, it was just lacking as a cigar. Not a cigar I would come back to or recommend.

Draw

The draw was flawless, right in the ideal zone of resistance.

Overall

The Rojas KSG shows what a good lancero should be. The flavor profile was very dessert like throughout, with complex elements of baking spices, creaminess, graham cracker, earth, cedar and citrus. I found the cigar experience consistent from start to finish. While the draw was perfect, the burn suffered, requiring two re-lights. I’ll be happy to get my hands on some more KSGs in the near future. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Draw

The draw was perfect, a high feat for a Lancero.

Overall

The Rojas KSG was a great flavorful cigar from beginning to end. The gradual increase in red pepper spice with accented semi-sweet chocolate, creamy bread and cedar made for a smoking experience that kept me engaged the entire time. This KSG has me hyped to try other Rojas offerings.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.37

Cost/Point

$1.88

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.28

Cost/Point

$2.27

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.87

Cost/Point

$1.75

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

7.07

Cost/Point

$1.70

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Rojas KSG