A.R. Robaina Familiares Cigar Review
The 2 Guys
Smoke Shop in Salem, New Hampshire recently sent me an email offer
on the A.
R. Robaina line of cigars. They caught my attention because
they contain 40% pre-embargo Cuban tobacco. I’ve never been able
to bring myself to pay the rather high prices charged for pre-embargo
Cuban cigars, so I figured this is about as close as I’m ever going to
get.
In addition to the 40% Cuban long filler, the cigar
boasts a Cuban-seed Ecuadorian wrapper from the 2000 crop. The
wrapper is a very rich dark brown with fine veins. Its
construction is very firm. Unlit, the cigar has a wonderful
smell. A draw through the punched but unlit cigar was easy and had
a hint of spiciness to it.
Once lit, I found that I was in
for quite a treat. The aroma of the smoke was by far the most
pleasant I’ve ever smelled. It had what I can only describe as a
perfect “classic cigar” smell. The flavor was a rich
medium-bodied one. The smoke was very creamy white and (if I had
the talent to do so) would probably have blown wonderful smoke
rings. Keep it away from your eyes, though. It burned mine
like no other smoke ever has. It also made my head swim more than
any cigar ever has. Felt like I’d just pounded about a half-dozen
beers by the time I was about a half to two-thirds of the way through
it. Wow…
The cigar burned evenly. The ash was
firm and medium gray in color. It stayed on the cigar until I
tapped it off. I don’t think it would have stayed on if allowed to
grow to about an inch.
If this is what a
“real” Cuban cigar is like, I understand why people love
them. I enjoyed everything about this one and can’t wait to smoke
the other one I bought. I’m even considering picking up a few
more. (BTW, 2 Guys has a really good price on them that puts them
in just about everyone’s price range. I don’t know if I’m allowed to
tell what that price is, since they can’t, but let’s just say that an
“Abe Lincoln” and a couple of coins should get
you a single, before shipping.)
On a 1-10 scale, with 10
being excellent, this one has to be about an 8.75! Definitely
recommended.