Sol Cubano Series B Robusto
When I first began smoking, a fellow BOTL generously set me up with a large assortment of cigars including some that he deemed as daily smokers. A dozen of these were the Sol Cubano Series B’s. Being far more focused on premium smokes at the time, I stored these away in my humidor. After gifting several of them to infrequent smoking friends and family along the way I discovered that almost everyone who tried them deemed it an enjoyable session. While traveling recently, I had a failed attempt (under filled) at my first PSD4 and the only other smokes with me were ones that I had planned on giving out, one of which was the Series B. Thinking it the perfect opportunity, I broke one out in order to see what everyone was so pleased with.
Previously, I mentioned that this smoke was selected because it was a backup to the PSD4 that I abandoned halfway through. The irony of this is that after inspecting the Sol Cubano, it looks extremely familiar. Grabbing the band from the PSD4, it strikes me that the Sol Cubano has to be an attempt to imitate the more widely sought PSD4 because the bands are almost identical with only two exceptions. Obviously, the first exception is the printed name of the cigar. The second is that the Sol Cubano band sports a bold blue field while the PSD4 is red. Outside of that the font, line placement, and gold embossing are virtually identical. On inspection, the wrapper of the Sol Cubano is well formed. Carmel in color, the smoothness is marred by one sizable vein running the length of the cigar along with some spotting along the length.
After a sharp cut, the prenotes are of sweet hay and a barnyard scent. On lighting, the sweetness carries over and a mild tobacco flavor takes the lead. The tobacco is not the most tasteful and is somewhat akin to cigarette tobacco. The burn is slightly wavy but by no means out of control and remains consistent. Following behind is an ash that is very light in color approaching stark white. A loose composition fails to allow it to hang on for more than an inch throughout the entire smoke. Continuing on, the flavor never really changes much. At about the halfway mark the first real change occurs when a nuttier note joins the original sweetness. The smoke finishes its last inch without much fanfare as it reaches a bitter point.
Overall, I can see why the BOTL who gifted these recommended them as a daily smoke as it is not a cigar that proves more enjoyable by setting time aside to pay close attention. With that said, I can see where a newer or infrequent smoker would find this pleasant. It is not full bodied so there is no threat of having it sneak up to surprise you. Its mild flavor would also prove unoffending to a less experienced participant. Personally, I enjoy more flavorful and bold smokes but at about $2 per cigar it is one that would prove beneficial to keep around for mowing the lawn or donating to someone who would not necessarily appreciate a flavor bomb of a smoke. Quality standards are also much lower, as you can observe in the last picture.
When I first began smoking, a fellow BOTL generously set me up with a large assortment of cigars including some that he deemed as daily smokers. A dozen of these were the Sol Cubano Series B’s. Being far more focused on premium smokes at the time, I stored these away in my humidor. After gifting several of them to infrequent smoking friends and family along the way I discovered that almost everyone who tried them deemed it an enjoyable session. While traveling recently, I had a failed attempt (under filled) at my first PSD4 and the only other smokes with me were ones that I had planned on giving out, one of which was the Series B. Thinking it the perfect opportunity, I broke one out in order to see what everyone was so pleased with.
Previously, I mentioned that this smoke was selected because it was a backup to the PSD4 that I abandoned halfway through. The irony of this is that after inspecting the Sol Cubano, it looks extremely familiar. Grabbing the band from the PSD4, it strikes me that the Sol Cubano has to be an attempt to imitate the more widely sought PSD4 because the bands are almost identical with only two exceptions. Obviously, the first exception is the printed name of the cigar. The second is that the Sol Cubano band sports a bold blue field while the PSD4 is red. Outside of that the font, line placement, and gold embossing are virtually identical. On inspection, the wrapper of the Sol Cubano is well formed. Carmel in color, the smoothness is marred by one sizable vein running the length of the cigar along with some spotting along the length.
After a sharp cut, the prenotes are of sweet hay and a barnyard scent. On lighting, the sweetness carries over and a mild tobacco flavor takes the lead. The tobacco is not the most tasteful and is somewhat akin to cigarette tobacco. The burn is slightly wavy but by no means out of control and remains consistent. Following behind is an ash that is very light in color approaching stark white. A loose composition fails to allow it to hang on for more than an inch throughout the entire smoke. Continuing on, the flavor never really changes much. At about the halfway mark the first real change occurs when a nuttier note joins the original sweetness. The smoke finishes its last inch without much fanfare as it reaches a bitter point.
Overall, I can see why the BOTL who gifted these recommended them as a daily smoke as it is not a cigar that proves more enjoyable by setting time aside to pay close attention. With that said, I can see where a newer or infrequent smoker would find this pleasant. It is not full bodied so there is no threat of having it sneak up to surprise you. Its mild flavor would also prove unoffending to a less experienced participant. Personally, I enjoy more flavorful and bold smokes but at about $2 per cigar it is one that would prove beneficial to keep around for mowing the lawn or donating to someone who would not necessarily appreciate a flavor bomb of a smoke. Quality standards are also much lower, as you can observe in the last picture.
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