Recently, a certain format has become very popular among cigar lovers, and one of its brands has been the best-selling Havana cigar in the world for several years. We are talking about the Robustos, a cigar with a length of 124 millimetres, a 50 filler and an approximate weight of between 11.7 and 13.0 grams.
The Robusto has been so successful in recent times because it is a vitola that is easily smoked, in a not very long time, and with the differences in the blend of each brand we can find them to suit all tastes.
Its ease of tasting is mainly due to the fact that it has a medium quantity of tobacco, which means that it is usually not very dense, which makes the draw easy and simple, but if we add the 50 gauge (19.84 millimetres in diameter), which also makes for a perfect burn, it has almost everything.
The length of the smoke is another of the characteristics that have converged in these times of almost hurried pace, short after-dinner meals and the scarcity of time to devote to our pleasures in the midst of an almost constant acceleration of our lives.
For most of the different brands of Robustos, and depending on the smoker’s capacity, the smoking time is between 40 and 50 minutes per cigar, which allows us to enjoy the cigar without having to dedicate too much attention to it.
Another of the characteristics of this vitola is that it contains almost all the brands of Havana cigars, from Cohiba to Partagás, in the whole vitolario we can find the one that suits our tastes and desires in terms of strength, aromas and flavour.
The best-selling robusto in the world in recent years has been the Partagás Serie D nº 4, a reference that the owners of the Especialistas en Habanos cellars make when we ask them about their main sales of these formats, since this cigar has all the characteristics mentioned above and a very well-defined strength.
It has been on the market from the 1930s to the mid-1960s, but its major launch took place in 2007, and it represents the best incentive for a cigar aficionado who wishes to find all the characteristics of Cuban dark tobacco in the tasting of a Havana cigar.
Until the arrival of the Partagas, the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 was the best known and most sought after robusto among smokers, although it should be noted that it is a much milder cigar than the Partagas, with a strength rating of one out of five.
The Montecristo Open Master belongs to the sportiest line of the Habanos vitolario and was launched on the market in 2009, with the brand’s signature blend and an average strength of three out of five, somewhat lower than the Línea Clásica.
Finally, the fourth of the Robustos, the Romeo and Juliet Short Churchills, another of the most modern Cuban cigars since its launch in 2006, with an average strength of three out of five, is the best way to enjoy the exquisite blend of the brand’s vitolas.
In addition to this quartet, other similar vitolas can also be found in the cellars of Spanish tobacconists, such as the Cohiba Robustos, the Royal Coronas of Bolivar and the Specially Selected of Ramón Allones, all of which will please cigar lovers.
PARTAGAS SERIE D No. 4
Size: Length: 124 mm. Diameter: 19.84 mm. Stump: 50. Weight: 13.0 gr.
Tobacco: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Río, Cuba).
Before lighting: Colour: red. Smell: old hay.
Burn: First third: tasty and penetrating from the start. Second third: spicy notes mixed with some bitter notes (cocoa). Last third: the earthiness mixes with the lingering notes of black pepper.
Smoking time: 45/50 minutes
Draught: Excellent
Ash: Light grey.
Presentation: Boxes of 25, boxes of 10 and packets of three cigars in tubes.
Comments: The ideal robusto model for those who prefer strong emotions, which explains why it has been the best-selling cigar in the world in recent years.
HOYO DE MONTERREY EPICURE No. 2
Size: Length: 124 mm. Diameter: 19.84 mm. Stump: 50. Weight: 11.74 gr.
Tobacco: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Río, Cuba).
Before lighting: Colour: Carmelite. Smell: vegetal.
Burn: First third: very mild and savoury at the start. Second third: spices and wood combine with soft notes of white pepper. Last third: a strong taste without any increase in strength.
Smoking time: 45/50 minutes
Draught: Perfect.
Ash: Medium grey.
Presentation: Boxes of 25 and cases of three cigars in tubes.
Comments: These Robustos are the mildest of the Habanos vitolarios, with a strength rating of one out of five, but in which we can find perfect traces of tobacco without any kind of aggressiveness in the mouth.
MONTECRISTO OPEN MASTER
Size: Length: 124 mm. Diameter: 19.84 mm. Stump: 50. Weight: 12.20 gr.
Tobacco: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Río, Cuba).
Before lighting: Colour: Carmelite. Smell: herbaceous.
Burn: First third: mild traces of spices and some wood. Second third: white pepper and some earthy touches, not very deep. Last third: the flavours are well balanced.
Smoking time: 40/45 minutes
Draught: Excellent.
Ash: Medium grey.
Presentation: Boxes of 20 and packets of 3 cigars in tubes.
Comment: In this Robusto, the Montecristo Open Line blend offers us good sensations of dark Cuban tobacco in the mouth, all with a medium strength (three out of five) and in which a whole range of very interesting notes appear.
ROMEO Y JULIETA SHORT CHURCHILLS
Size: Length: 124 mm. Diameter: 20 mm. Stump: 50. Weight: 12.40 gr.
Tobacco: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Río, Cuba).
Before lighting: Colour: red. Smell: woody.
Burn: First third: mild at first with good spicy notes. Second third: some traces of white pepper (not aggressive) mixed with woody notes. Last third: tobacco notes increase, well balanced with the aromas.
Smoking time: 40/45 minutes
Draught: Excellent.
Ash: Medium grey.
Presentation: Boxes of 25, 10 and 3 cigars in tubes.
Comments: This Havana cigar in the Robustos galera vitola offers a rich and varied range of tobacco nuances in the middle of a medium strength blend (three out of five). Throughout the tasting we find all the advantages of a full-bodied Havana cigar that is easy to smoke.
