Pacific Cigar Company Robusto
Brand: Pacific Cigar Co.
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 4.50
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Origin: Dominican Republic
Price: $7.75 each
Brand:
The Pacific Cigar Company was established in 1990 and is based out of Lemont, Illinois. In addition to having a presence here in the United States, the Pacific Cigar Company also has a facility in the Philippines and Dominican Republic.
The company goal is to challenge and change the means and methods of making and packaging cigars for the purpose of creating a cigar like no other.
This Dominican made variety of Pacific Cigar Company Robusto consists of a binder and filler made up of tobacco from the San Victor region of the Cibao Valley. The wrapper is an Ecuadorian Shade Grown Connecticut seed.
Pre light:
With a quick push from my thumb, I opened the vacuum sealed end of my plastic tubo. After the air rushed into the canister I removed the cigar from its plastic tomb and gave it a looking over. I found the wrapper to be free of defects and soft to the touch. When pinched from head to foot I found several soft and hard spots throughout. After clipping the head I found the pre light draw to be mildly sweet with a fairly loose draw.
First Third:
After a quick toast and light I had my Pacific Cigar Company Robusto evenly lit and producing a generous supply of smoke. The initial flavor was mildly sweet and pleasant while the finish was harsh and rough on the palate.
After a few minutes of puffing the harshness mellowed out a bit but remained very much in the picture. The body throughout the first third was in the mild-medium range. The flavor remained mildly sweet with a nutty aftertaste.
The ash was light in color and flaky. The burn line was thick and blistering while maintaining a fairly even burn. The burn rate seemed a bit fast and at times during puffing I could hear the tobacco in the cigar burning.
Second Third:
After about forty minutes of smoking I found myself into the second third of my Pacific Cigar Company Robusto. The body remained mild-medium while the harshness of the finish settled out a bit more. Even with the reduced harshness the smoke was still a little rough on the palate.
The base flavor shifted to a traditional Dominican tobacco flavor with a mild saltiness and woody flavor. The secondary flavor remained nutty and added a bit of complexity to the smoke.
The draw remained a bit loose while providing a hearty supply of dense smoke which was easily passed through the sinuses. The burn line became much thinner as the cigar got shorter while the burn rate remained a little fast for my liking.
Final Third:
After about ninety minutes I reached the final third of my cigar. The body remained in the mild to medium range while the finish picked up slightly in terms of harshness. The harshness was washed away with a sip of coffee but definitely put a damper on the experience.
The base flavor remained that of Dominican tobacco with additional flavors of wood and nuts in the background. The wood and nut flavors kept the cigar interesting but were overpowered by the harshness of the finish.
The burn rate was about average at this point while the resting smoke was light and aromatic. The burn line remained thin and was slightly wavy. The draw continued to be a little loose for my taste but provided me with a nice supply of thick smoke.
My Thoughts:
Overall I enjoyed the flavors of my Pacific Cigar Company Robusto but struggled with the harshness. I think that if the stick was removed from its vacuum sealed tube and laid to rest in the humidor, the air exchange may do it some good and resolve the harshness issue.
I also think that $7.75 is a lot of money to pay for a cigar of this caliber. While I’m sure that there is a lot of additional cost with the packaging and consignment operation, it doesn’t justify the bottom line, at least in my mind. If these were to come down a few dollars per singe I would give them another shot in the future, but at the current price I would definitely pass on them.
Happy Smoking
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