I picked up a five pack of Robustos on a whim from cbid just over a month ago. I had heard good things about the Torano line and I generally like maduro wrappers, so these looked like a winner on paper. They do not disappoint.

This Robusto weighs in at 5 x 52 with a Brazilian Arapiraca maduro wrapper, Connecticut binder, with Dominican Cubana and Nicaraguan Habano ligero fillers. This particular stick had a slightly oily, very smooth appearance (save for one seam-like vein). A very nice feel in the hand, the perfect amount of give when squeezed.

It lit very easily, giving off a blue-white smoke and a pleasant aroma. First draw produced a mouthful of smoke with a typical earthy maduro flavor and a slight hint of cocoa. The draw was excellent, producing copious amounts of smoke every time.

Body on the first third was on the mild side of medium. This surprised me, given that I had heard it described as medium to full, with a nice soft finish. The earthy flavor continued with hints of cocoa, leaving a slightly sweet maduro taste on the lips. I got a couple of harsh draws, but I think it was because I was enjoying the cigar so much that I was smoking a bit fast. After slowing down a bit, the harshness quickly died away. The burn was razor-straight.

Easing into the second third, the ash was still holding with the body, building to more of what I would call a medium. The ash was white/grey for about an inch from the burn ring, turning a yellow/orange further toward the foot. I can’t get over how well this cigar burned, it would ripple slightly after a draw only to burn back straight before the next. The cocoa flavors disappeared leaving a stong earthy flavor with just the slightest bit of spice near the end of the second third.

The second third was almost finished before the ash dropped, unceremoniously, on the floor. I was doing a fair bit of moving around, so I was pretty impressed with how long it hung on.

As I started the last third, I start to pick up some woody/leathery hints and the cocoa began to sneak back in occasionally. I was smoking in the garage since it was raining outside (while I usually smoke out on the back porch). This gave me a better chance to check out the aroma, something I usually miss out on.

The burn got a bit uneven at this point, due I’m sure to the humidity from the rain I mentioned. I was really worried that this was going to be more of a problem, but only had the one small 1/4″ split.

I think it knew I was taking photos of a flaw, because within 2-3 draws of taking that picture, the burn went right past the split and evened up again. This one was smoked down to about the last inch, picking up just a bit of spice at the end with the body finishing on the full side of medium.

I’ll definitely be picking up another five pack, and as soon as I get a little more storage space I can see a box in the future. I bet these get even better with age. And I need to work on my picture taking.

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