Rodrigo Habano Clasico Robusto

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 50
Wrapper : Dominican
Filler : Dominican
Binder : Dominican
Hand-Made
Price : ~$7.00

For several months I had seen Rodrigo cigars being passed between members of several different cigar forums with some good things being said about the cigars and its owner, George Rodriguez. I have to admit they looked awfully good, and I decided for myself I had to acquire some for myself to see what all of the hoopla was about. So I got in contact with George to procure myself a lovely sampler of several different sizes from his vitola lineup. George has the Rodrigo cigars made in Tamboril, Dominican Republic. At this moment, only a few B&M’s have these cigars with Height’s Cigar in Houston being one of them (George just finished a Rodrigo event there not too long ago).

Appearance :
The Rodrigo robusto’s wrapper is a marbled mix of mainly dark brown with shades of yellows and black within its spectrum. Good oiliness to the outside makes this stogie look delicious. The triple cap on the end looks clumsily applied and rustic. The wrapper has some middle sized veins running down its sides. Aromas of leather are emitted from the wrapper and tea leaves from its foot. I love the banding and art work of this cigar with the pic of the cigar leaf cleverly accentuated between two griffins. Very attractive marketing.

Construction : (4.75)
The Rodrigo is a little tight on the draw when the head is clipped. Lit with my Xikar lighter, and the draw immediately opened up and produced thick plentiful smoke. Through the 1st third and moving on to the halfway point the burn was pretty straight with a sturdy salt and pepper ash that held on for an exceptionally long amount of time. Construction is some of the best I have seen from a boutique brand.

Flavor :
When held in the mouth the oiliness of the wrapper comes off on your lips and leaves a slightly sweet and spicy lingering aftertaste. This oily wrapper also had me wondering whether this cigar was going to be too much for me and pound me into submission. But I ended up loving the beginning of this cigar. The Rodrigo begins with a bombastic amount of leather glove flavors combined with floral notes. The Rodrigo and me seemed to be on an awesome ride from here on out. This cigar tastes like Tatuaje and Viaje joined forces and made a cigar (which I highly doubt would ever happen!). About halway the intensity of smoke increases and evolves into flavors of rich saddle leather, rich sweet tobacco earthiness, and rich French roast coffee (yep, that’s THREE rich’s). I couldn’t really say that this cigar is super complex, ‘cause it’s not, but this cigar’s flavors are exceptionally lively. And it’s this liveliness of flavor that elevates the Rodrigo above a sea of monotonous boutique brands. Good work George!

Value :
If I had to put a dollar amount on what I would pay for this cigar if I hadn’t known the price already, I would say I would be happy in paying $9-$11 a stick. After saying that, it is shocking to know that these cigars run around the $7-$8 range; a bargain by my standards.

Overall Rating :
I smoke a lot of Tatuajes and a lot of Viajes and this cigar seems to marry a Miami Brown Label with Viaje’s Exclusivo flavors. This is giving George, and the Rodrigo robusto, a lot of cred and respect for producing such a good cigar on the first release. I know I have used the word waaayyy too much already and have played it out on this review, but the one word that sums up the Rodrigo robusto is, RICH! I’ll keep using the word over and over again until you all smoke one of these yourself and then I will shut up. Until then, enjoy Rodrigo, and cheers my friends!