Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic (San Vicente Seco)
Filler: Dominican Republic (Semilla 254, Yamasa, Piloto, San Vicente)
Vitola: Robusto (5 1/8 x 52)
Purchase Link: Davidoff Robusto Intenso
DAVIDOFF ROBUSTO INTENSO REVIEW – CALIFORNIA
Summary: I decided to review this stick before eating dinner and that might have been the wrong decision because this cigar starts out savory. Umami, nuts, and oak notes are complimented by a brown sugar sweetness. There's a fruitiness playing around my palate, but other than that it's all walnuts now.
Some minor touch ups are required entering the second third. The flavor department seems to be out at lunch, but I'll pitch my tent and hope for someone to return before closing time.
Final third. Well, I asked for ANYTHING flavorwise and I'm getting something funky (my stomach says wonton shrimp, but my brain says knock it off). Oh well, time for dinner.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Flat earth theory.
Pairing Suggestion: Rum.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Single.
DAVIDOFF ROBUSTO INTENSO REVIEW – WISCONSIN
Summary: This cigar brought notes of nuts, pepper, earth, caramel, cream, mineral, cocoa, and cedar. It settled into a profile mainly consisting of cocoa, earth, and wood. While it had bursts of the other flavors, that core profile dominated the experience.
The burn and draw were both on point, with no issues at all in construction.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Drinking cocoa in the woods.
Pairing Suggestion: Brandy.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Fiver.
DAVIDOFF ROBUSTO INTENSO REVIEW – OREGON
Summary: With an oily, milk chocolate colored wrapper, this cigar already has my attention. Lots of sourdough from the wrapper and the foot smells like a mixture of green apple and rich tobacco. The cold draw has a A-1 steak sauce flavor...raisins and vinegar?
Starting off with a very open draw providing plentiful smoke filled with coffee, leather and a tingle of spiciness. The retro hale experience is fantastic filled with warm wood notes, leather, mild tobacco, and a medium to mild wasabi style heat. I feel like I should be able to identify this cigar. The room smoke is heady and rich.
Changing to wood notes accompanied by toffee and leather with a hint of sweetness. The finish carries just a hint of pepper spice on the roof of the mouth. Solid ash, tons of smoke...hitting all the right marks.
Smooth notes of wood, tobacco, black pepper and hints of caramel building to a great finish. The pepper spice is really lingering now. The retrohale is still very enjoyable as well with richer versions of the main profile. The heat still feels more like wasabi than black pepper in the retrohale. A+ construction on this beauty.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Hitting 4 under on the front nine.
Pairing Suggestion: Specifically: Angel’s Envy Finished Rye.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Box all day.
Participants in this blind review were completely unaware of the cigar they were evaluating until all submissions were received and processed. Each participant was asked to answer a summary paragraph, an if/than statement, a pairing suggestion, and a purchase suggestion. Cigars were provided by Small Batch with only the expectations of candid responses. All pictures, information, and formatting were completed by a Coordinator outside of the reviewing process.
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