This Guest Review comes courtesy of Michael Thorne
as his Day 3 Entry for the 3rd Annual Stogie Review 12 Days of Christmas

This will be my first attempt at any type of review as I prefer to read others submissions. I tried to select a cigar from my humidor that had not been reviewed on stogiereview.com. If I overlooked an archived review I apologize for the oversight.

My sense of taste is not as refined as most reviewers so I don’t typically taste the wide array of pepper and spice that many detect in cigars. I selected a cigar that I’ve never detected a lot of spice in just to avoid a truly bland review. For the contest I am going to attempt to put down my thoughts on a Cuban that I enjoy and have had several of to somewhat qualify me to offer an opinion. As you will see in my Christmas card submission in a few days, I have a face for radio and only pictured the cigar in my photos and will not try to make a video. All my background info came from my mobile stogie phone app.

Cigar: Vegas Robaina Famosos
Origin: Cuba
Shape: Corona Extra
Length: 5.0
Ring Guage: 48
Price: $11.20

Pre-light: The wrapper was overall-smooth but you could see where the leaf was rolled as pictured. There were 2 visible veins in the leaf. The cigar was light brown, the color of cafe con leche.

This VR was spongy to touch with no real soft spots. It is a very light cigar in both weight and color. It was about 27 degrees when I clipped the cap with my Palio. Initially I lit the cigar with my xikar as pictured but the wind caused a little uneven burn on the foot which I touched up with a triple flame. The draw before lighting was unobstructed and free. I detect some leather but mainly an earthy tobacco aroma. There is a cocoa taste in the cold draw and upon first firing the foot.

The burn is very even and produces a light gray colored ash. The ash is compact and was tapped at a 1/2 inch. There is lots of thin yet creamy smoke. It is a milder cigar, almost sweet to the taste. It pairs very well with the hazelnut coffee I am pairing with it. Nothing like a cigar to enhance the flavor of your drink.

As the VR progresses it has some sweet flavors of roasted nuts, cocoa, and leather. The wisps of smoke between puffs are very pleasant. After the first third the smoke seems to thicken and retains the creamy flavor.

I would characterize the cigar as mild. It makes a very nice afternoon smoke with a cup of coffee but would be equally good in the evening with a hoppy beer or a bourbon or rum. I smoked the VR a little longer than the final submitted photo until just before the heat would present any harshness. It maintained the leather and cocoa notes throughout.

I would recommend this size of the Vegas Robaina line to anyone that comes across it. I know I will add more to my humidor if the opportunity presents itself.

Merry Christmas to all of you. I’ll now leave the reviewing to y’all and the reading/watching to me. I have a little more appreciation for the work you put in to making the site a success.

Cheers,

Michael Thorne