Benchmade robusto

[Don Fernando]

These Don Pepin Garcia made cigars just arrived on the Dutch market and this 5x50 robusto has a very nice price tag of €2.75 which makes it one of the most affordable longfillers out here. The Benchmade are made for Ashton and are a Nicaraguan puro with a small pigtail on top.



The dark brown Nicaraguan wrapper is quite oily and has some thin veins. The construction feels good and the predraw after punching is good and tastes like black pepper. The cigar has a firm barnyard smell.



I taste coffee with lots and lots of pepper. The coffee disappears quickly and turns to wood. I also taste a sweetness on the background. After an inch and a half the pepper tones down a little bit and the wood gets stronger but the pepper is still strong.



After ⅔ I also taste some hay, the wood gets a little less strong but the pepper is still strong. Near the end the wood gets dominant again with a strong peppery aftertaste.



This 5 inch cigar lasted me 50 minutes. The draw and burn are good and I got a lot of thick white smoke. The ash is firm and is light colored with some dark spots. This full flavored and full bodied cigar packs a lot of 'Pepin' pepper and gave me a decent flame while purging.



Would I buy this cigar again? For this price? No doubt!

Appearance: 8 / 10
Construction: 7 / 10
Draw: 7 / 10
Burn: 7 / 10
Smoke & ash: 8 / 10
Aroma first part: 8 / 10
Aroma second part: 7 / 10
Aroma third part: 7 / 10