Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto is dark brown and has some decently raised veins. The seams are smooth while the caps have some raised edges. There are two bands, with the primary being graphite and pale metallic gold, carrying the company logo and line name. The foot band is pale metallic gold with an embossed wavy design. The aroma from the wrapper is slightly damp earth and cardboard while the foot brings a mix of wood and cardboard. The pre-light draw brings more of the wood and cardboard combination along with the taste of whatever the wrapper was painted/dipped with.
Seth: The West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto is not a good-looking cigar. The wrapper is rough and slightly oily in texture with an uneven coloring. It doesn’t have that marbled finish but is splotchy. Small to medium sized veins present throughout with a slightly firm texture. Colorado Maduro to Maduro in coloring, it has this raisin like coloring. Aromas of seasoned wood, tobacco, herbal spices and rich earth.
John: The West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto came in cellophane and had a UPC sticker with the cigar information and an integrated tear space so it remained intact when opened. There is a primary Circle of Life band and a metallic, gold colored foot band. I weighed the cigar at 13.1 grams. For aromas, I could clearly detect rich, fermented tobacco, earth, raisin and damp wood. The foot aromas were essentially a carbon copy of the wrapper aromas.
Jiunn: The West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto has an overall Colorado Maduro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll has some minor soft spots throughout and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas consist of heavy barnyard and stale nuts.

West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with a bold mix of earth and toasted oak along with some black pepper. At a quarter inch in, some cardboard joins the profile. At a half inch in, the profile is pretty dry. The retrohale is dry earth and toasted oak. At an inch in, the black pepper mellows a bit and the cardboard increases a bit. As the third comes to a close, the dry earth and toasted oak are even up front, with the black pepper in the middle of the profile and the cardboard just behind. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third begins with a flavor profile of seasoned wood, tobacco and leather. There are some faint earth notes with this herbal pepper spice and mineral quality on the finish. Medium in strength and body.
John: My first few puffs are notes of cocoa, tobacco, mild earth and wood on the finish. As the first third settles in, earth joins the finish at medium strength. After a short while, the earth has started to linger into the post draw. Creaminess on the retrohale develops as the cigar continues along. At the halfway point, the profile is creamy earth and tobacco on the retrohale with sweet earth and wood on the post draw.
Jiunn: The first third’s flavor profile is rustic in nature. There’s quite a bit of leather, minerals and harsher cedar wood. The brash of harshness makes the finish long and lingering. On the retrohale, an abundant nose scorching red pepper spice forms. Strength is medium-full, and body is medium.

West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, a bit of walnut nuttiness joins the profile as the carboard departs. At a half inch in, the walnut note gains some bitterness and has worked its way into the mix with the dry earth and toasted oak up front. The retrohale is now dry earth, walnut shell bitterness and toasted oak. At an inch in, the walnut nuttiness transitions to slightly bitter walnut shell. As the third comes to a close, the dry earth, toasted oak and slightly bitter walnut shells are even up front, with the black pepper in the middle of the profile. The strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The second third continues with that tobacco and leather profile with some charred oak. Faint earth remains with those herbal pepper spices and a stronger mineral quality that lingers on the finish. Like before, medium in strength and body.
John: The second third gets going with creamy tobacco, sweetness, a reserved earthy center with a medley of cocoa, earth and wood to combine for the finish. As the second third settles in, plum notes move into the center of the profile. By the bottom half, earth and cocoa lead off with earth and wood on the finish and through the post draw.
Jiunn: The second third’s flavor profile continues to be rough and rustic with the same harshness in cedar wood, followed by plethora of leather and minerals. Strength and body continues to be medium-full and medium, respectively.

West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper mellows a bit. At a half inch in, the slightly bitter walnut shell mellows a bit. The retrohale is now back to just dry earth and toasted oak. As the cigar wraps up, the dry earth and toasted oak are even up front, with the slightly bitter walnut shells a bit behind and the black pepper just behind the middle of the profile. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third delivers that herbal pepper spice, charred oak and mineral quality. Touches of earth. Long finish that is unpleasant. Medium in strength and body.
John: Creamy earth takes the cigar into the last third with sweet tobacco in the center and sweet earth to finish. As the cigar continues to the halfway point, earth becomes the primary flavor driver. Through the bottom half, the earth has moved up to medium-full strength. Some mild cocoa tries to break into the profile but is pushed aside by the intensity of the earth.
Jiunn: The final third is the same as the second third. Still medium-full strength and medium body with rustic notes of harsh cedar wood, leather and minerals.

West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout and the ash held on through each third.
Seth: The burn was even throughout the entire cigar.
John: The burn is uneven to start, forming a canoe as it continued, which required a touch-up to correct. The burn continued to be uneven as it continued but required no intervention.
Jiunn: Great burn performance providing an even burn, tight ashes and cool burning temperatures.

West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: The draw was somewhat loose, having the cigar smoke quickly.
John: The draw was roughly 1-1/2 to 2 notches towards the open spectrum, which lands it in the very good rating category.
Jiunn: The draw was also great, giving the best balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with a bold mix of earth and toasted oak along with some black pepper. Some cardboard joined in fairly quickly. The second third saw some walnut bitterness join in as the cardboard departed. The walnut nuttiness later transitioned to slightly bitter walnut shells. The final third saw the walnut shells and black pepper both mellow a bit. Construction was perfect. The West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto started fairly average as the carboard note wasn’t a great supporting note, but when it departed in the second third and was replaced by walnut nuttiness which transitioned to walnut shells, it picked up on enjoyment. The final third dropped back down as some of the components mellowed. This was an interesting transition of flavors and while I wouldn’t see coming back to this necessarily, I might be interested in trying another vitola to see how the flavors get delivered.
Seth: West Tampa has not delivered on any release that I have smoked. This is the fourth blend from the company that I have smoked, and all have an underwhelming flavor profile that I find unpleasant. The West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto is monotonous and has a long finish that is not enjoyable. The burn and draw were good with this cigar, but that was the only redeeming factor. Poor from appearance to performance.
John: The West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto had an interesting and engaging start to it in the first third. The second third had some interesting flavors but lacked the balance and combinations that were delivered through the start. The draw was a minor amount into the open spectrum and the burn required a touch-up to correct a canoe. I find the price point on the West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto to be reasonable, but I don’t think the flavor delivery did enough to motivate me to chase another. I might be inclined to try it in another vitola to see how it compares. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 41 minutes.
Jiunn: I’m still not a believer in this brand. Whenever a blend like this West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto shows harshness and is one dimensional, it’s an auto turn off for me. If this is the circle of life, then count me out.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.13

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

4.18

Cost/Point

$3.11

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.85

Cost/Point

$2.22

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$2.26

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: West Tampa Circle of Life Robusto