1 review for Recluse Draconian
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Recluse Draconian
Overall Score
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DrFever
Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 52
Wrapper : Ecuadorian Maduro
Filler : Brazilian Hybrid, Piloto Cubano, Dominican, Iconic Leaf Ligero
Binder : MBC (Proprietary Binder)
Hand-Made
Price : ~$7.5
This pre-release Robusto was sent to me by Iconic Leaf but in no way was my review impacted by this. 2 cigars were provided and both were smoked for this review.
They were sent to me for review last autumn. Given my smoking climate, I let them rest over the winter in my humidor and while these cigars are now available I have finally gotten around to smoking my two samples for the purpose of this review.
Iconic Leaf (Recluse) rolls all of their cigars in the entubado style and all are rolled at their Tabacalera Leyendas Cubanas factory in the Dominican Republic.
More information about the company and their methods can be found in my review of their initial offerings (The Recluse and uniquely-shaped Kanu).
Appearance : [rating:4.5/5]
The box pressed robusto is very well constructed. The cigar has a beautiful oily sheen with minimal veining and tight & only slightly visible seams. It comes with a ribbon on the foot for protection and added elegance.
Construction : [rating:5/5]
In a nutshell, this cigar’s construction was perfect in every aspect. The burn, as you can see in the photos, was flawless. It never required burn correction or re-light.
There were no soft spots and the cigar felt well-packed, slightly spongy with a perfect draw, offering the perfect amount of resistance. Smoke output was consistently fantastic.
Flavor : [rating:4.75/5] (4.75)
The cigar has a nice pre-light earthy and cedar aroma. The foot provided some subtle hints of caramel, mocha, nuts and subtle spice.
The first third was mainly earthy and offered up hints of mild spice. There were hints of dark espresso, molasses and toasted nuts. It had a short to medium finish comprised mainly of a mild chili heat with lingering hints of oak and caramel. The finish got longer as I made my way through the cigar. The smoke had a pleasing thick and oily texture with palate residue of sweet wood and roasted coffee bean.
The second third offered a nice transition into slightly sweeter flavors. Hints of dried fruit, semi sweet chocolate, caramel and coffee complimented each other very well. The cigar was far from sweet but was sweet enough to compliment/contrast the primary profile of wood, earth, nuts and spice. Never did the spice overwhelm the palate, instead remaining complimentary. Some more toasted nuttiness became apparent about the halfway mark.
The final third again offered up a pleasant blend of the aforementioned flavors. The smoke residue was not as sweet but instead was slightly drier offering up hints of toasted nuts and darker chocolate. The chocolate notes were more akin to dark unsweetened chocolate and the coffee notes were less sweet. Earth, wood notes and hints of toasted nut and caramel continued to dominate the flavor profile with the coffee notes becoming less discernible. The finish was much longer, comprised mainly of spice and toasted nuts.
Never did the nicotine become a factor and both samples I smoked were very consistent which is important because you know what you are getting when you take one out of the box.
Value : [rating:4.5/5]
These cigars are fairly priced for boutique cigars. They are well worth having in your humidor. At an average price of $7.50 per cigar (average of a sample of retailers) it won’t set you back too much but at least your money is being spent on a great smoking experience.
I have become a fan of the Recluse and this cigar offers many similarities with only slightly different flavor nuances that help distinguish them.
Overall Rating : [rating:4.7/5] (4.70)
This was a very enjoyable woodsy, nutty cigar with exceptional construction and a very pleasing blend. This medium to full strength cigar is also medium to full bodied in its flavor profile.
The Recluse Draconian offers a very good blend of earthy, nutty, coffee and chocolate flavors that transition from semi sweet to sweet without ever any unpleasant bitterness.
I smoked this cigar on an empty stomach and not once did I feel impacted by the nicotine. I was able to smoke it to the nub without ever getting unpleasant bitterness.
I would recommend them in a heartbeat and will ensure that I have some in my humidor. I now make it a point to stock my humidor with the Recluse and I will certainly make room for some Draconians.