Don Abram Harris Presidential Reserve Robusto

I was sent a sample of Don Abram Harris Presidential Reserve Robustos. I found the following on his web site:

From The Birmingham Times Feb 18, 2010:
There is a saying that "great aspirations begin with great ideas", which holds true for Don Abram Harris - the first African American Cigar Manufacturer in the United States. Born in the state of Maryland, Mr. Harris is an entrepreneur at heart who says he has always loved a great smoking cigar and wanted to create his own. He succeeded by introducing the Don Abram Harris Cigar line at the 76th Annual International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show in Las Vegas, NV, July 13-18, 2008 where they made their first impression on thousands of retailers and cigar enthusiasts of the world. All who sampled the cigars gave nothing but good reviews.

The 15 year old, aged tobacco boasts of refined and mellow tastes that are well worth the smoke.

This medium to full-bodied cigar finishes with waves of baking spices while capturing the breezes of cocoa and roasted nuts. Its length is 5 inches by a 50-ring gauge.

Don Abram Harris Cigars are handmade with the best island seeds found only in Puerto Rico's Utuado mountains by one of the most respected Puerto Rican born cigar makers. Don Abram will be starting his tour across the U.S. to start getting his product into the stores. In the very near future, his fine cigars will likely be found in the most exclusive cigar stores everywhere. So start looking out for this new brand and enjoy!


OK. That was the hype. Now the reality. The filler and binder are both Puerto Rican. The wrapper is a nice Cameroon.

The construction is not bad. It's firm, no soft spots and few veins. I sniffed the hell out of the things until I turned my septum inside out. The baking spices mentioned in the article are spot on...but I also smell the sweetness of the Gran Marnier and cocoa on the body. It's extremely intense at the foot. It passes my test for a good smelling cigar.

Upon light up, I instantly get the sweet tobacco and Gran Marnier. This is not a flavored cigar. The liquor is nicely infused with the slightest of touches making it a fine compliment to the creaminess of the stick.
And creamy it is. A few puffs in, some red pepper kicks in and all of a sudden the flavors explode! The combination of sweetness from the Gran Marnier, the creaminess, the nuttiness, and the spice make it a big winner in my book.

An inch into the cigar, it begins to burn unevenly but quickly corrects itself on its own.
The profile is medium body all the way. Making it enjoyable all the way to the end without the need of a Louis XVI banquet beforehand to keep the spins away.

The complexity of the cigar is in the coming and going of the four main flavor profiles mentioned earlier. It doesn't get any more complex as the cigar burns down but its one of those cigars that doesn't need to have dozens of quiet variations that keep changing as the cigar burns.

It's such a pleasant cigar. I see this as a perfect morning cigar. But I warn you. The flavors are so delicious, that it could ruin it for your next cigar. This stick has big, billowing flavors that make you hungry for some apple pie ala mode.

According to Don, this will be a $7-8 stick depending on size and markup at your favorite B & M. I really hope he decides to sell these online at his own site, or at least, get them into the stables of some online stores. I would definitely pay those prices in a B & M but would like to see it a buck or two cheaper online.

I've smoked 3 of these, so far, and each one has been dead nuts consistent.
I think Mr. Harris has an up and comer here. But it appears to be in the brand new stage making it difficult to obtain at this time. I would suggest going to his web site and beg Don to sell you some.
Keep an eye open for these fine cigars. I'm not sharing mine.

Thanks, Don, for the samples. http://www.donabramharris.com/