Smoked a Vegas Robaina Clasicos earlier tonight and thought I'd post a review. I've never smoked anything by Vegas Robaina before - and was really happy with the experience.
This is a different sized cigar than I normally go after, 6.5" long by 42 ring. I normally go for a larger diameter cigar as a rule - though not for any particular reason. Here's a pic I grabbed off the Web:
I sat down to smoke this one about an hour after a fairly heavy dinner, with a large class of ice water as its only accompaniment. This was accomplished on the couch in my living room with the window opened a bit to let the smoke flow out at its own pace (yes - my wife likes the smell of cigar smoke).
The cigar was very well made, and flawless in appearance. Just feeling it my fingers, it felt like one of the firmest cigars I've ever smoked - firm enough to use as a weapon when defending against a crowd of rabid children - at least in a pinch.
I cut the end with my scissors, and gave it a nice open cut - almost cutting too much - but not quite. It lit up very easily and evenly - and after lighting up - it proved to have a medium to tight draw - but no where near as tight as its feel would have made me guess.
This was a strong cigar, but not at all harsh... very smooth and easy going down. It burned very evenly throughout (almost perfectly) but did not hold a long ash (about 1 inch and then falling off on its own). The taste was very good throughout, starting with lots of flavor and getting more as it went - mostly with tones of coffee and nuts - with an undertone of something like vanilla.
Flavor was consistent throughout in terms of how it tasted, but the strength of the flavor built gently until I let it go out (with just less than 2 inches left). I let it go out before the flavor ever got harsh - as I didn't want to end such a satisfying experience with a sour note.
Overall, this is a very good medium (maybe bordering on strong - but not quite) smoke - and reminded me a bit of the Partagas Series D's I've smoked. I'm looking forward to trying my other one (which is both longer and thicker) and comparing the two - but I think there is a box of some kind of Vegas Robaina somewhere in my future.
That's it for this one.
Cheers,
- Oak
This is a different sized cigar than I normally go after, 6.5" long by 42 ring. I normally go for a larger diameter cigar as a rule - though not for any particular reason. Here's a pic I grabbed off the Web:
I sat down to smoke this one about an hour after a fairly heavy dinner, with a large class of ice water as its only accompaniment. This was accomplished on the couch in my living room with the window opened a bit to let the smoke flow out at its own pace (yes - my wife likes the smell of cigar smoke).
The cigar was very well made, and flawless in appearance. Just feeling it my fingers, it felt like one of the firmest cigars I've ever smoked - firm enough to use as a weapon when defending against a crowd of rabid children - at least in a pinch.
I cut the end with my scissors, and gave it a nice open cut - almost cutting too much - but not quite. It lit up very easily and evenly - and after lighting up - it proved to have a medium to tight draw - but no where near as tight as its feel would have made me guess.
This was a strong cigar, but not at all harsh... very smooth and easy going down. It burned very evenly throughout (almost perfectly) but did not hold a long ash (about 1 inch and then falling off on its own). The taste was very good throughout, starting with lots of flavor and getting more as it went - mostly with tones of coffee and nuts - with an undertone of something like vanilla.
Flavor was consistent throughout in terms of how it tasted, but the strength of the flavor built gently until I let it go out (with just less than 2 inches left). I let it go out before the flavor ever got harsh - as I didn't want to end such a satisfying experience with a sour note.
Overall, this is a very good medium (maybe bordering on strong - but not quite) smoke - and reminded me a bit of the Partagas Series D's I've smoked. I'm looking forward to trying my other one (which is both longer and thicker) and comparing the two - but I think there is a box of some kind of Vegas Robaina somewhere in my future.
That's it for this one.
Cheers,
- Oak
