Cigar Review: Padilla La Terraza Robusto

Draw: Excellent all the way.

Pre-light flavor: Leathery

Toasting & Light: Cigar toasted and lit well. First puffs were smooth and creamy with a great aroma.

Base flavors: Sweet tobacco, wood, toffee, and spice

Retrohale: Creamy with a light woody note, and a spicy element I can’t seem to put my finger on, but it was nice.

Aroma: Earthy with a sweet caramel-like essence.

Burn / Ash Quality: Burn was very clean. Ash is mostly grey with black pinstripes, and firm enough to hold up for at least an inch or more, especially if you let the cigar rest a little longer than usual.

Balance of flavors: Excellent all the way.

Consistency: Excellent.

General Observations: A very remarkable cigar with thick, chewy smoke. The body is primarily medium, yet offers up a LOT of flavor. (Some newbies may find it more on the full-bodied side,) The spice in this cigar is more of the sweet variety. No discernible “hot” peppery notes. The flavors caramelize well, turning a little more complex in the last act. The smoke was more dense in the final inches with some stronger spice notes, yet never lost its sweetness. Smoked it to the nub.

Summary: Considering the La Terraza Robusto’s extremely reasonable price point, it behaved like a cigar costing twice as much. I found it mighty impressive in this regard, as well as the overall flavor, balance, aroma and burn. This cigar could do no wrong by me, and impressed me enough to buy a box. I’ve found it to be a great cigar for starting the day, but it is just as satisfying after lunch and dinner — a good “mixer” cigar. This cigar improves quickly with age, too. Since I purchased the box almost a month ago, the cigars have been tasting better and better.

The only caveat I can impart is the Nicaraguan wrappers are very delicate, so be careful handling this cigar. (You may want to keep them in their cellos.) I also prefer the La Terraza’s maduro leaf for its natural sweetness and silkier texture, over the more commonly used Connecticut Broadleaf.

Highly recommended, and one of the best values I’ve found in a while.

Rating: ????

===============
Rating scale
? = Fair to Middling
?? = Good
??? = Very impressive
???? = Excellent
????? = Spectacular!