Le Navarre Short Robusto

Origin : France
Format : Short Robusto
Size : 105 x 19.84 mm
Ring : 50
Wrapper : France
Filler : France
Binder : France
Hand-Made
Price : 7.5€ each

For a few months I was aware of the fact that the first French puro, Le Navarre, has seen the day but I never had a chance to try one. On a business trip in Beijing, I was offered a Le Navarre Short Robusto by a friend who personally knows the manager of the brand. Of course, I could not pass on this opportunity and we had a great smoke together on a warm Beijing night.

Le Navarre tobacco is grown in the south west of France, next to the Spanish border. With the help of a Cuban tobacco grower from Pinar del Rio, "Le Comptoir du Tabac des Gaves et de l'Adour", the company behind Le Navarre, is looking to create a blend able to match the best Cuban stogies.

Appearance :
This cigar has a beautiful shiny wrapper and a triple Cuban-like cap. The band is quite simple and proudly indicates that the cigar was produced in France. Feels very good in hand and definitely a pleasure to the eye.

 
Construction :
Cigar rollers from Cuba were specially hired to teach local workers the art of rolling. The result is a very skillfully rolled stick, consistent and with decent burn and draw.

Flavor :
What I liked the most about this cigar is that it was not really designed to taste like a Cuban (which is probably impossible, anyway). Using Cuban knowledge base, aficionados from Navarrenx (small town where the factory is located) managed to create a unique flavor. The first third is dominantly cedary, without these spicy notes that usually mark the beginning of Cuban sticks. It made me think of a mild Dominican cigar, particularly Avo or Davidoff. As I continued smoking, the power increased and I detected delicious cinnamon notes as well as a taste of roasted coffee. In the last third, strong wood and leather. Overall, I really liked it, especially the first two thirds.

Value :
I'm curious to see how competitive Le Navarre cigars will be, especially considering the fact that they are in the same price range as good Cubans.

Overall Rating :
I'm very happy that yet another country has started to produce high quality cigars. I'm sure that the Navarre has a good future - good construction skills, fine weather conditions and an original flavor will take care of that.