This was a affordable deal, back in April, that i couldn't pass up considering it had a nice add on of a PDR 8 Cigar sampler plus a PDR Branded Ashtray. For basically 54 bucks after an email discount, I didn't see how i could lose. 28 Cigars and an Ashtray was just too good of a deal to pass up. If your interested, right now it comes with a 10 PDR Toro Sampler as a freebie and as of today you can get 10% off plus free shipping if you use the promo code 10170227.
This is a chunky Robusto made by PDR cigars with a San Andres Maduaro wrapper over Dominican fillers and binder. I've had this cigar sitting at 69% humidity in a weather tight tote for slightly more than 6 weeks. This is the second cigar that i've smoked and both have been very consistent in flavor profile, draw, and the quality of construction/burn.
Both cigars were rock hard with a loose draw and its a bit annoying to get it light up since you have get the ash to about 1/8" before it starts burn by itself. Seems to be that the cigars are still a little bit dry since i live in Arizona and it took about 8 days for the cigars to reach me. The wrapper is quite dry with no noticeable oil with just a slightly rough sand paper texture typical of San Andres leaf.
Basically you have to get the ash to around this point for the cigar to combust on its own and to give you a decent amount of smoke on the draw. Initially, the smoke out put is incredibly thin and wispy to start until you reach this point or so.
The flavors start off very mild with the Dominican tobaccos dominating. Its basically a very light but pronounced walnut/pecan, mild wood, with just a hint of the San Andres wrapper. i.e. you barely get a light chalky earth. The finish is extremely short but the 3-4 basic flavors are still quite enjoyable. It's rated by Thompson as a medium-full and i was a bit annoyed since it was super mild for the first 15-20 minutes in both examples that i smoked.
Luckily after about 20 minutes or so the finish starts to lengthen and the body starts to increase. Basically the body moves up to a low medium and the finish lengthens slightly. The San Andres wrapper really starts to make its presence felt after about 30 minutes or so with rich chalky earth dominating with the nutty notes and light wood being background flavors. The maduro draw flavors are relatively short but the nutty wood last for 30-40 seconds before fading.
The final third is where the action really starts because this is where the wrapper completely takes over. The body increases to a medium-full with the rich chalky earth being joined with a light but nice sweetness that sort of reminds me of a Tootsie roll. The Dominican flavors remains but it functions more to lighten the flavor profile so the maduro flavor never feels heavy or overwhelming.
This blend taste nothing like a Nicaraguan or Honduran blend but is very typical of Dominican tobacco. Its starts off very mild and while the flavors become more pronounced it never feels heavy or overwhelming. (i.e there is no chewiness or anything overpowering). The maduro flavor profile is lighter more refined/delicate than what is typical of maduros from Honduras/Nicaragua.
In summary, the cigar starts off wispy with a typical mild Domican maduro flavor profile that some people might find boring. Its really not until you reach the half way point that the body and flavors really start to shine. People who favor dark meaty cigars might be turned off by this blend since only by the last third is where the body and flavors starts to become medium-full. I enjoyed the transition from a very mild first third blend to a low medium second third and a medium-full final third. The strength of the cigar in terms of nicotine is a low medium at best and its only at the beginning where the strength beats out the body.
The construction and burn was excellent on both cigars that i smoked. The only negative is the loose draw that might be due to the cigars being slightly under humidified.
Most of the reviews on Thompson are Meh (2-3 stars out of 5) with only the Maduro Robusto having a single positive review. The claro seems to be getting bashed.
Here's the rest of the burn progression:
This is a chunky Robusto made by PDR cigars with a San Andres Maduaro wrapper over Dominican fillers and binder. I've had this cigar sitting at 69% humidity in a weather tight tote for slightly more than 6 weeks. This is the second cigar that i've smoked and both have been very consistent in flavor profile, draw, and the quality of construction/burn.
Both cigars were rock hard with a loose draw and its a bit annoying to get it light up since you have get the ash to about 1/8" before it starts burn by itself. Seems to be that the cigars are still a little bit dry since i live in Arizona and it took about 8 days for the cigars to reach me. The wrapper is quite dry with no noticeable oil with just a slightly rough sand paper texture typical of San Andres leaf.
Basically you have to get the ash to around this point for the cigar to combust on its own and to give you a decent amount of smoke on the draw. Initially, the smoke out put is incredibly thin and wispy to start until you reach this point or so.
The flavors start off very mild with the Dominican tobaccos dominating. Its basically a very light but pronounced walnut/pecan, mild wood, with just a hint of the San Andres wrapper. i.e. you barely get a light chalky earth. The finish is extremely short but the 3-4 basic flavors are still quite enjoyable. It's rated by Thompson as a medium-full and i was a bit annoyed since it was super mild for the first 15-20 minutes in both examples that i smoked.
Luckily after about 20 minutes or so the finish starts to lengthen and the body starts to increase. Basically the body moves up to a low medium and the finish lengthens slightly. The San Andres wrapper really starts to make its presence felt after about 30 minutes or so with rich chalky earth dominating with the nutty notes and light wood being background flavors. The maduro draw flavors are relatively short but the nutty wood last for 30-40 seconds before fading.
The final third is where the action really starts because this is where the wrapper completely takes over. The body increases to a medium-full with the rich chalky earth being joined with a light but nice sweetness that sort of reminds me of a Tootsie roll. The Dominican flavors remains but it functions more to lighten the flavor profile so the maduro flavor never feels heavy or overwhelming.
This blend taste nothing like a Nicaraguan or Honduran blend but is very typical of Dominican tobacco. Its starts off very mild and while the flavors become more pronounced it never feels heavy or overwhelming. (i.e there is no chewiness or anything overpowering). The maduro flavor profile is lighter more refined/delicate than what is typical of maduros from Honduras/Nicaragua.
In summary, the cigar starts off wispy with a typical mild Domican maduro flavor profile that some people might find boring. Its really not until you reach the half way point that the body and flavors really start to shine. People who favor dark meaty cigars might be turned off by this blend since only by the last third is where the body and flavors starts to become medium-full. I enjoyed the transition from a very mild first third blend to a low medium second third and a medium-full final third. The strength of the cigar in terms of nicotine is a low medium at best and its only at the beginning where the strength beats out the body.
The construction and burn was excellent on both cigars that i smoked. The only negative is the loose draw that might be due to the cigars being slightly under humidified.
Most of the reviews on Thompson are Meh (2-3 stars out of 5) with only the Maduro Robusto having a single positive review. The claro seems to be getting bashed.
Here's the rest of the burn progression:
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