Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Saga Solaz Robusto is medium tan and has a network of visible veins with some of them slightly raised. The seams are smooth but slightly visible due to vein placement and some color variation. The head is finished off with a well applied and deep triple cap. The cigar has two bands that actually look like one. The base band is gold and black and has the line name on the lower half. The second has the brand name cut out of a gold with burgundy strip that goes over the base band that has a section cut out so you can see the wrapper where the name is cut out. The aroma from the wrapper is a light mix of leather and hay while the foot brings fuller leather. The pre-light draw brings a hay note with a very light spiciness on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The Saga Solaz Robusto has an interesting band design where the top band overlaps the band sitting underneath. The top bad has the logo cut out so the cigar wrapper shows through. The band style is very 70’s with a gold on brown motif and the Solaz font with a retro feel. Nosing the cigar I picked up aromas of sweet bread along with tobacco on the wrapper. In the foot there is mild, sweet raisin. Measuring the ring gauge the cigar measured a true 50 RG at the band, and 49 RG at the foot. Total length came in slightly above advertised at 5-5/128’s of an inch.

First Third

The cigar begins with toasted cedar, mustiness and slight bitterness. At a half inch in, some nuttiness and light coffee join in as the bitterness is now quite faint. At an inch in, the nuttiness leaves as the cedar is now more of a toasted oak along with some mustiness, light coffee and light black pepper. The bitterness is now completely gone. The retrohale starts with black pepper and mustiness and then some oak cuts through. As the third comes to a close, the profile is now toasted oak, hay, mustiness and light black pepper. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

First Third

My first few puffs bring sweet hay with a lingering post draw hay. Cedar and hay through the retrohale with dry cedar joining the post draw almost immediately. As the cigar continues to settle in, flavors of grass and a general chlorophyll develop in the middle of the profile. Sweet biscuit and baking spices join the retrohale. As the cigar progresses, baking spices move up to medium plus with the biscuit component sitting at mild levels. Sweet cedar joins the retrohale some time later. A mild grass comes through the end of the retrohale with a short finish.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the toasted oak and hay remain up front with the mustiness slightly behind and the black pepper has left the profile. At a quarter inch in, a slight bitterness returns to the profile. At three quarters of an inch in, the mustiness increases to become even with the toasted wood and hay. The retrohale is toasted wood and mustiness. As the third comes to a close, the profile drops the hay and is just toasted oak and mustiness. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.

Second Third

Baking spices and cedar with biscuit all harmonize into the retrohale at a light plus. Some cedar carries all the way into the post draw, with mild tannins and dryness accenting it. That cedar starts to take up the center of the profile as the cigar settles. Some mild sweetness joins as the cigar progresses. The mild biscuit on the retrohale comes out on top of the flavor profile as it approaches the halfway point. At the halfway point, bitterness comes in suddenly in the middle of the profile and carries into the post draw, lingering with dry cedar. Chlorophyll, biscuit and bitterness all combine by the end of the second third.

Final Third

As the final third begins, a light vegetal note joins the profile. At a half inch in, a light char joins. The retrohale is lightly charred and toasted oak with mustiness and a light vegetal note. At an inch in, the mustiness has a slight lead over the charred and toasted oak while a light vegetal note remains in the background. The cigar finishes out with the same profile. The strength in this third remained at medium.

Final Third

The retrohale consist of mild biscuit and then immediately bitterness takes over the palate all the way through the post draw, lingering there. Dry cedar moves into the middle of the profile as the cigar settles.

Burn

The burn was slight wavy throughout. It did require two touch-ups to keep everything moving along. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.

Burn

The ash dropped anywhere between half to one inch. The burn was slightly off at the end of the first third but self corrected in the second. Overall, no issues with the burn and no maintenance was required.

Draw

The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

The cigar began with toasted cedar, mustiness and light bitterness. Fairly quickly some nuttiness, black pepper and light coffee joined for a little bit. The cedar transitioned to oak and was then paired with the mustiness the rest of the way until a light vegetal note joined in the final third. Construction was good aside from a couple of touch-ups and strength was right around medium the whole way. Overall, the Saga Solaz Robusto had a pretty typical Connecticut shade profile with some bitterness and vegetal notes paired with oak and mustiness. Definitely a candidate for a morning cigar paired with coffee. I would smoke this again and look forward to in the other vitolas, but it’s not topping the list of other cigars with a similar profile that I might go to first.

Draw

The draw is a half to one notch towards the open spectrum but still in the zone of an ideal draw.

Overall

The Saga Solaz Robusto was an interesting cigar that served up a more classic Connecticut flavor profile with more subtle and complex notes in the first third. The second and last third became more traditional with grass and bitterness that I find most often with Connecticut blends of years ago. Overall, the cigar was fairly consistent through the smoking experience and would be a good choice for Connecticut smokers looking for a safe twist on the classic flavors. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 27 minutes.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.55

Cost/Point

$1.50

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.36

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Saga Solaz Robusto