Famous Signature Series by Garcia Family Robusto

I ordered four of these five-inch beauties online and immediately stuck them into my humidor upon arrival. As an aside let me mention how much I love online cigar shopping. Although there’s nothing quite like the smell and feel of a brick and mortar tobacco shop, there’s also something special about ordering online and waiting impatiently for the packages to arrive at the doorstep. It’s like Christmas over and over…and over. I do most of my shopping at CigarAuctioneer.com. I highly recommend checking it out, but don’t say I didn’t warn you concerning the addictive properties of the site. But back to the Garcia Family.

The cigar was the Famous Signature Series by Garcia Family Robusto. Five inches long with a 50 ring gauge, it’s a nice-looking stogie and I couldn’t wait to light it up. After punching a hole in the cap, I pre-tested the draw and it seemed good, so I began toasting the foot. There was no trouble lighting the cigar and the first couple of puffs seemed to confirm a good construction.

As I smoked, however, I began noticing a bitter taste to the smoke. This is typical for smokers who, out of inexperience or impatience, scorch the foot while lighting, but I had been careful and was pretty sure that wasn’t the problem. Indeed, the bitter taste continued for the first half-inch. At that point the cigar shifted to a nice, even feel and I could pick out some interesting nutty flavors. I wouldn’t call it a creamy taste, but it wasn’t at all harsh. The taste improved as the smoke progressed and continued to burn cool up until the last inch and a half.

The smoke was plentiful and fairly aromatic. The burn was almost flawless, even and predictable. One of the things I loved about this cigar was the aesthetic properties of the ash, which was a beautiful whitish-gray.

Overall, I would call this cigar pleasant and innocuous. It wasn’t flashy or complex, but a good, basic smoke. I will definitely be enjoying the other three in my humidor.

Good Points
■Plentiful smoke
■Even burn
■Pleasant taste
■Beautiful ash

Bad Points
■Could use more flavor
■Starts out a little bitter