Pre-light Experience

Seth: The Tradecraft The Azorian Robusto is decent in appearance. It sports a Colorado heavy wrapper that has some dark antique furniture colorings. The wrapper is thick and leather like in texture with small to medium sized veins throughout. The cigar has a nice give with a lovely flat cap. Aromas on the cigar are that of barnyard, tobacco, hay, wood and mineral notes.
John: The Tradecraft The Azorian Robusto features a Colorado-colored wrapper. Construction-wise, the cap shows some lumpiness. I weighed the cigar at 13.7 grams and measured the humidity at 67.1% using the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper were quite mild, offering faint bread and sweet tobacco. From the foot, I picked up tobacco, mild earth and wood.
Jiunn: The Tradecraft The Azorian Robusto has an even Colorado wrapper shade. The wrapper is fragile as there is already a one inch crack on the foot. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas give cedar and a hint of anise.

Tradecraft The Azorian Robusto

First Third

Seth: The first third delivers flavors of barnyard, tobacco, minerals and dry wood. There are some dry spices as well, but they are more herbal spices. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The first third opens with sweet tobacco and light hay. Through the retrohale, creamy sweet tobacco and wood are present. A few puffs in, a delayed mild pepper begins to appear on the post draw. Light-plus strength baking spices join the sweet tobacco in the retrohale, adding some depth. As the first third continues, a vegetal note, reminiscent of celery, emerges through the retrohale. Bread then joins the mix, rounding out an already full retrohale profile.
Jiunn: The first third is a pleasant one. Toasted mixed nuts carries the profile giving it a nice sweet and creaminess with medium tannins. There’s also cardboard and cedar to round out the mouth draws. The retrohale shows fierce dried red pepper spice, which feels like a great wake up espresso. The finish gives tannin layered dried mixed nuts. Strength and body is medium.

Tradecraft The Azorian Robusto

Second Third

Seth: The second third is in line with the first. Dryer flavor profile with notes of barnyard, tobacco, minerals and wood. Herbal spices again. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The second third begins with creamy bread and baking spices, with the spices lingering into the post draw and shifting toward a pepper note. As the cigar progresses, wood moves into the lead position. Through the bottom half of the second third, baking spices define the retrohale.
Jiunn: The second third shows more tannins off the mixed nuts, and at the same time reduces the natural creaminess and sweetness that the first third had. It’s not as enjoyable but no off-putting flavors. Strength and body remains medium.

Tradecraft The Azorian Robusto

Final Third

Seth: The final third is in line with the second. Dryer flavor profile with an increase in minerals and herbs. The finish is of wood notes. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The final third opens with creamy wood leading the profile, while baking spices define the finish and post draw. As the third settles in, the baking spices evolve into black pepper at medium to medium-full strength. By the halfway point, earth moves into the post draw and takes over, with the pepper acting as a supporting note.
Jiunn: The final third shows no changes from the second third. The profile is still full of dried nut tannins without the sweetness and creaminess from the initial third. This in combination of cardboard and cedar becomes too much of the same area of the flavors. Strength and body finishes the same medium.

Tradecraft The Azorian Robusto

Burn

Seth: The burn is uneven throughout the smoking experience.
John: The burn started relatively straight but became wavy as it progressed. It turned uneven in the second third, forming a canoe that required a touch-up. The uneven burn persisted, and the cigar eventually went out, requiring a re-light. The burn remained wavy through the final third.
Jiunn: Burn performance had its fair amount of issues. About 1/4 of the cigar did not burn right, requiring me to touch-up and purge throughout the entire smoking time.

Tradecraft The Azorian Robusto

Draw

Seth: The draw throughout the cigar is good.
John: The draw measured 30 inches of water on the Cigar Medics draw machine. Subjectively, it was at most one notch toward the open spectrum, placing it squarely in the ideal range for an amazing draw.
Jiunn: The draw was on the looser end. Not a material issue but a notable one.

Overall

Seth: The Tradecraft The Azorian Robusto is not a bad cigar, but it is lacking and one-dimensional. The burn is an issue as well with the cigar. In looking at the cigar, I had a feeling the burn was going to be a problem, and I was right. It’s not a blend that speaks to me as well, and because of that it is not something I would seek out. It is too wood, barnyard and tobacco heavy. I am going to be bold in saying that I believe this is a brand I typically stay way from in general. It has the appearance of a cigar that I would not pick up as a smoker.
John: This cigar delivers a solid and engaging first third, with a layered retrohale that builds nicely through the addition of baking spices, vegetal notes and bread. There’s a sense early on that the profile is developing in an interesting direction, particularly with the interplay between sweetness and those more savory, vegetal components. As the cigar transitions into the second and final thirds, that early complexity gives way to a more wood and spice-driven profile. The evolution toward stronger pepper and earth in the final third adds intensity, but it comes at the expense of the nuance that defined the opening. The profile doesn’t necessarily become harsh, but it does become more linear and less dynamic. From a construction standpoint, the draw was excellent and consistently in the ideal range, which helped keep the experience enjoyable. The burn, however, required some attention, including a touch-up and re-light, which slightly detracted from the overall experience. In the end, this Tradecraft The Azorian Robusto is a cigar that shows flashes of complexity early but settles into a more straightforward profile as it progresses. It’s an average overall experience that’s worth exploring for the first third, but not one that fully maintains that initial momentum through to the finish. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 48 minutes.
Jiunn: This Tradecraft The Azorian Robusto is yet another example of a cigar that had a nice first third but quickly lost steam the remaining way. The pesky burn added salt to the lackluster final two thirds. Overall an easy pass for me.

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.05

Cost/Point

$2.97

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.90

Cost/Point

$2.54

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.55

Cost/Point

$2.70

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Tradecraft The Azorian Robusto