NC Review: Tabaquero Robusto by Hamlet Paredes

[Puros Y Vino]

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Hamlet Paredes Tabaquero Robusto Review

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Review: Hamlet Tabaquero Robusto

Release: Debut release for Hamlet Paredes under the Rocky Patel umbrella.

Vitola: 50RG * 127mm (5 inches) aka Robusto

Production: Unknown

Box Code: N/A (possibly rolled Spring 2015)

Date: Monday Sept 14

Start Time: 7:25PM EST

Reviewers Notes:

My style of cigar reviewing is “open”. I try to jot down what I’m experiencing with every draw. When you see a “/” consider that a break in between puffs. What I leave out in fancy prose is made up with observation. Consider each segment a play by play. This style works for me. I hope you enjoy it.

Introduction.

For those of you that know him, Hamlet Paredes was a mainstay in Cuban cigar culture. He traveled abroad exhibiting his rolling skills and unofficially acting as a sort of Cuban cigar industry ambassador. He plied his trade in Cuba in many places. He is well known as the ex house roller for the Romeo y Julieta factory and up until 2014, he was a salesman in the Partagas Factory store. He is a walking encyclopedia of tobacco, fluent in many languages and an engaging personality.

He recently made his way to USA and landed with Rocky Patel. After many months of settling in and working in Rocky's Burn Lounge in Naples FL, Hamlet began his first project. The Tabaquero line. Scheduled for release October 2015. At the 2015 IPCPR, the line generated a lot of interest and I'm told a lot of pre-orders. Hamlet has since gone on tour in the US. His Visa restricts him from leaving the country for 1 year. A common friend of ours met up with him in Buffalo NY and was able to score a few samples. Fortunately, I was able to get one. Given that I've come to know this gentlemen over the past 4 to 5 years, I'm very happy for him and his new start Stateside. Nonetheless, I will be objective in smoking this cigar and giving my thoughts. What I will refrain from is giving it a score at this time. I'm confident that Hamlet has put something together that we fans of his Cuban custom rolls can find enjoyable. Hopefully, what I document here will have some appeal to you and you'll give this cigar and any others in its' line a shot. And so begins this journey. I hope you enjoy.

Pre-light notes

Visual: dark chocolate brown wrapper. great roll, smooth wrapper, solid, spongy at the foot. not a box press which is nice. Aroma is very NC like. cocoa sweetness on the wrapper and foot. hints of spice as well. pepper.

Lots of different types of tobacco in this close up of the foot.

A medium punch to the head comes clean, draw is very smooth. Time to begin!

1st Third

good opening/ oily mouthfeel / earthy with a bit of sweetness / light but steady smoke output / vegetal notes / slight hints of bitter chocolate / aroma of grilled mushroom as i type / black pepper spice comes into play / lots of smoke / bitter chocolate / hints of cedar / getting strong / earthiness

returns / cocoa / smooth draw / feeling black pepper in the back of the throat / bold cigar thus far / cocoa / huge volumes of smoke / oily mouthfeel on some finishes / decent burn, nice white ash / bready sweetness / bready sweetness / earthy again, , k peppery undertone persists / pepper anise

/ definitely an NC in terms of body and profile / even the smoke smells strong / slight hints of cocoa / still a relatively fresh cigar from what i understand, release isn’t expected until Mid October /

2nd Third

chocolate / solid ash / perfect draw / calming down a bit in this third / oily / feeling tobacco strength / hints of sweetness now and then / huge plumes of smoke / a bit of cedar now and then / i tap off ash to avoid catastrophe / still medium ,full bodied / woody, earthy flavours now / oily finish on almost every draw / first band comes off / strength sneaking up / flavours steady in this third so far / nice, flavourful draw, similar to sourdough / pepper still persists / woody draw, cedary finish, very sharp / very slight hints of cocoa linger on the palate, which is pleasant / a bit of hickory with a sweet finish

/ more cocoa / it's dark out while i'm smoking, i hope this dark wrapper isn’t staining my lips and fingers LOL my first RP cigar ever, the Java did that to me. was a turn off / burn is good, but needs a touchup / feel strength creeping in, mind is swimming / sourdough again / still tons of smoke and a hint of licorice / most finishes are on the sweet side, which is good / earthy draw with a tangy finish /

oily draw / pepper returns / licorice again , serious smoke monster / earthiness returns / cedar takes over the next few draws / second band off, aroma of cigar is still mushroomy / woody , earthy notes, pepper is back in a big way / not a boring cigar / super strong puff! lots of hickory and earth /

3rd Third

woody / a return to some cocoa / dry tanniny feel on the finish / some bitterness / woody flavours / a bit on the medium bodied side in this third / Cubanesque “beany” flavour on a couple of puffs, very nice

/ a bit of cocoa / the cigar is still showing off some strength / earthy flavour / tangy flavours / woodiness again, cigar is still strong / a hint of licorice with an earthy twist / pepper again ,

the flavours aren’t as bold as before, but the cigar has a strong profile nonetheless / on a purge i get a fair bit of ammonia / cleaner draws follow / bit of cocoa / beans again / toasty tobacco / lots of smoke , woody flavours / beans / earthy draw / the finishes in this third tend to be on the woody side, but not cedar, though it does appear now and then / hickory

/ this third has been a lot more smooth, not as sharp or strong but the overall cigars’ strength has made its presence known / seems to be blended, geared towards the NC smoker's palate / very unlike his Cuban custom rolls which tend to be medium bodied / very strong, earthy, dirt flavour /

Done @ 9:16 EST

Conclusions

Overall a very interesting cigar. Not boring or monotonous. If anything it is quite complex for an Non Cuban. And probably one of the better NC's I've had in a while. Apparently Hamlet tried about a hundred blends and this one was one of his first and he came back to it. The blend is strong and seems to waver in and out to give you a break now and then. The roll seems fresh and could do with some added sleep. As is stands, it smoked very well. It would be interesting to sample these every 6 months to a year. I smoke very few NC's as they cannot hold my interest. A week ago I lit up a 10 year old 1964 Series Padron and was expecting to be pleasantly surprised. It turns out I would have had better luck rolling up and smoking the Sunday comics in my local newspaper. This cigar and it's blend tells me there is some potential mojo in the NC game. Those of you who regularly enjoy NC's probably feel this way already. For my palate, this was the best NC I've smoked thus far. The only possible candidate to eclipse this, was the Davidoff 100th Geneva, which is an expensive, HTF cigar. After finishing this robusto I am very interested in trying the other vitolas in the line to see how the blend differs. Hamlet recommends the Salamones, which back in Cuba was his trademark custom roll. I'm sure he put a little bit extra in that vitola. As far as debut cigars goes. I think Hamlet did a splendid job. The overall flavour profile and complexity is worthy of his Cuban legacy.

Pros:

• Tasty, complex smoke. Strong; if you like that in your cigar.
• Affordable. Much cheaper and easier to obtain that his Cuban custom rolls.
• Cool, retro style band eschews early 1900's design and aesthetics.
• Not a box press. I hate the box press trend in the NC market. Doesn't feel right.

Cons:

• Not made with Cuban tobacco! But seriously. If there is any guy who could move from one market to the other and come up with an interesting smoke, its' this guy.
• Availability. Late September to Mid-October
• Youth. Mine smoked well, there was hints of ammonia towards the end. I'm sure by the time they're out they'll have had at least 6 months of rest.
• Strong. If that's not your thing, smoke this slowly, have a sweet drink nearby and plenty of water. A few more months rest should tame it a bit too.

@Hamlet. Well done Hermano. I can only imagine that your next cigars will only get better. Especially since you'll be able to travel abroad and really get your hands dirty sampling various tobaccos.

[bugman78629]

Good to know....... Great review; really enjoyed.

[JohnnyC]

Another Great Review Frank. Thanks for taking the time to review this one for us.

[Squarehead]

Very good review Frank

[LordAnubis]

Nice! I Look forward to trying a few of these myself when i get the chance.

[Colt45]

Nice work! I'll be keeping my eye out for the corona.

[Puros Y Vino]

I've talked to Rob about this and with his blessing I could post a link to pre-orders for the Tabaquero line.

Here's the link from cigar.com

USD Pricing is as follows.

Item|--------------------------------| Box Price |----|Quantity|-----|Single Price

Corona (5.5"x42) |-----------------|$143.99|----------| 20 |-------------|$8.00

Robusto (5.0"x50) |----------------|$153.99|----------| 20 |-------------|$8.60

Robusto Grande (5.0"x54)|------| $157.99 |---------|20 |--------------|$8.80

Salomon (7.6"x58) |---------------|$87.99 |-----------|10 |--------------|$9.80

Toro (6.0"x52) |--------------------| $157.99 |---------|20 |--------------|$8.80

[Strada]

Very good review Frank and good looking out for the info on pricing!

[Optic101]

Great review Frank !

[Habana Mike]

Thanks Frank. I also noticed a handful of sites are offering preorders. Price is pretty consistent across them.

[SofaKing]

Very reasonable pricing, will have to give these a try.

[SCgarman]

My Toro I smoked also had similar tasting notes which I posted here. You definitely need a sweet drink as the power of the cigar makes you a bit light headed. I am sure some age will make a big difference, as my burn needed some touching up and as good as the cigar was, it will have more age when released to market. I'm pre-ordered for a box of coronas myself as I love 42 ring cigars. The 6X52 Toro was a bit too long of a smoking experience for myself. I thought the complexity was great and kept my smoking interest for the whole stick.

[PuffDaddie]

Great review

[btp1979]

I just finished a robusto and if I were to keep tasting notes they would certainly mirror above. Having said that, it has been a looooong while since I've had a cigar make me sweat. For those brothers and sisters who are near exclusive CC smokers, this thing is STRONG. Just be prepared. I will definitely be picking up a box of the corona's and salomons when they become available. These are going to sit in the back of the humi and age for a good long while. This is a great smoke if you are looking for something shake the cobwebs out of your brain!

[LLC]

Great review Frank. I was told by a friend of ours in Havana last week it was the best selling cigar at the show you mentioned.

[riazp]

Great review Frank. Defenitly look foward to trying this and buying a box next time i'm states side.