Trinidad Robusto Extra

[CigSid]

This is a beautiful looking cigar with a nice triple cap and the trademark Trinidad pigtail.

 


I like to lightly squeeze up and down the length of the cigar to check for hard spots, and I will gently massage the ones that I find. This does two things, it helps the draw, and let's you know which cut to use for the cap...


I am pairing this with two kinds of coffee (in addition to my cigar obsession, I am also a coffee nut) the first one is an El Salvador, which was pretty good 

 

The second, an Ecuador AAA, which was amazing…

 


Initial aroma:

Very mild aroma of cooking spices and light cedar. (So light, it was almost undetectable)


I use a small wedge cut initially to test the draw, and it is perfect, with just a bit of resistance...


Cold draw:

Sweet green tea, creamy leather and butter.


Now, let’s fire this baby up...


First few puffs:

Mild, sweet leather, with creamy butter lingering on the tongue.


First third:

On the lighter side of medium, which is perfect to start your day. Not as much smoke as you would think for this fairly large ring gauge, but ample enough to enjoy the great flavors of oolong tea, creamy fine (let’s just call it corinthian) leather and lots of butter. Just a bit of white pepper on the retro hale, and very smooth…

Towards the end of the first third, holding steady with the tea, leather and butter.

The ash is a blend of light and dark grey, and fell on its own after about an inch and a half.

 


Second third:

Prominent leather with a bit of green tea, nearing the halfway mark. 

 

Still plenty of creamy savory butter coating my mouth and tongue. Oolong tea on the retro hale.

Nearing the end of the second third, and a big change... 

 

now I am getting sweet black tea (the kind my mom used to make when I was young) and a bit of nutmeg, not much butter left, but still a very nice change indeed... nearing the 1 hour mark. Now a solid medium on the strength scale.


Final third

The creamy butter is back with a vengeance and it brought sugar (maybe a bit of honey) with it, what a great combination, combining with a bit of a grassy/green tea finish... the corinthian leather is in the retro hale along with just enough white pepper to keep you on your toes... the nutmeg is still there very slightly, but just enough to linger on long after the smoke has cleared... 

Nearing the end of the final third, and there is no doubt about nubbing this one...

 

Strong sweet green tea at the end, with the creamy savory butter still going strong. The peppery spice has gone from white to black, and has a nice zing to it. Profile is medium full at this point, but not too strong as to wish you had a big breakfast...

As you can see, I didn't let any of this go to waste:

 


Notes:
 

• The total burn time was 2 hours and 15 minutes.

 

• The burn was perfect throughout, no touch-ups needed, burned cool, right up to the end.

 

• Changes: the first one of these I tried was over a year ago, but I remember subtle changes, almost a gradual morphing... this one had a more radical approach to it, keeping my interest throughout every puff...

 

• There must have been a pound of butter mixed with this stick, as I still taste it long after it was gone...

 

• Overall: fantastic cigar, very enjoyable from start to finish. Love the abrupt changes, and the savory long lasting finish.

 

• Pairing: the coffee was perfect, and only a few sips were needed (or desired) throughout the entire 2 hours and 15 minutes.

 

• Aging potential: I really cannot see how aging these much further could make this any better... I will put these in my regular rotation, and hold a few back, just to confirm if I'm right or wrong...

 

• Score: 98/100

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TheMonk]

Excellent review on an excellent stick! Really wish they still made these...

[strikethebox7]

Excellent review on one of my favorite smokes!

[Jose_A_Rodriguez]

Thanks for sharing tasting note. After reading your impressions, it's now on my radar to outsource a box via secondary market some day.

[Stump89]

Definitely a shame these are discontinued, only have a couple left.

[Spanishcedar]

Thank you for the nice review.  I do love when a cigar leaves that butter flavor.

[CigSid]

Thanks for the comments gentlemen! I have a few sealed boxes from 10 and 11, how are they smoking?

[JohnS]

Outstanding review Bill. I know I will reference this when I get the opportunity to smoke a Trinidad Robusto Extra.

[Puros Y Vino]

Great review.   Don't have many of these left. Might have to sample one before the summer is over and see if I get any butter taste out of one.