Rodrigo Maduro Robusto

Size: 5 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Maduro
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic

Construction:
The Ecuadorian Habano Maduro wrapper is a nice milk chocolate brown with very few veins. The cigar is firm when squeezed with only a slight amount of give at the foot. The cap clips very easily, and the pre-draw offers very little resistance and is rather mild.

1/3
The initial puffs offer an unmistakable red pepper tone. About a half of an inch in, I am greeted by a nice leather entering the profile and the pepper moving into the finish. Despite the fact that I am smoking this cigar directly form my B&M’s shelf, the burn has thus far been fantastic.

Once we reach the one-inch mark, hints of anise enter the profile, and I begin to notice a gradual increase in the overall sweetness. This sweetness becomes more and more prominent as we reach the second third.

2/3
The profile is now dominated by a sweet fruit tone and hints of dark chocolate. I am very impressed by the gradual way the profile has been built up to this point.
Retrohale reveals a nice espresso hint and is remarkably smooth considering the overall body of this cigar is easily in the medium to medium-full range.

Further into the second third the espresso moves from retrohale into a leading role upfront; however, in a testament to the blend, it never overpowers the rather delicate fruit flavor and compliments the dark chocolate undertone very well.

3/3
The perfect balance of the first two thirds doesn’t hold up into the final third, but the profile is still quite good with heavy coffee tones and an increase in spice.
I take this one to the nub and immediately begin sourcing a box.

Overall
I was very impressed with this thus far under the radar smoke. It is certainly worth a box purchase. Rodrigo is a brand I will be following closely in the future. I certainly see a bright future for them if their future offerings are anywhere close to the initial run.