NYGuido's Smoking Diary (Rest of 2025)

[NYGuido]

I know it might be sacrilege to start a smoking diary on FOH with a Dominican Cigar, but I never have been able to color inside the lines, so to speak, and the Millennium Robusto has been one of my absolute favorite cigars for as long as I've been smoking. If the story of Cuban cigars has been the constant and unpredictable push-pull of brilliant flavors with inconsistent quality (and at ever-rising prices), Davidoff stands as a paragon of flawless execution every single time. They do not make inexpensive cigars, but they make cigars that smoke as they should and with little fuss or need to worry.

The Millennium is my favorite of their blends and the Robusto my favorite of its vitolas (is the plural "vitolas" or the Latinate "vitolae"?) Cocoa? Check. Cream? Check. Espresso/Coffee? Check. Body? Check. It is flawless, with viscous smoke that covers the palate without overwhelming. There is not even a hint of spice or harshness of any kind, and this is a cigar that I can retro on every draw without fatigue. From first light to last puff, the cigar hits all of its flavor notes with the skill of an operatic tenor tackling Nessun Dorma.

It is, however, not perfect. While the flavors are exquisite and perfectly delivered, they are linear. There is no dramatic progression or noticeable shift, other than increased cream once the wrapper really warms up and the oils get going. It is a 1-act play, but the best 1-act play you could have. And, when smoking while working, I tend to appreciate the consistency so I don't feel like my imperfect attention causes me to miss anything special.

In all, this is a fantastic smoke and one of my true workhorses. I smoke at least 3-4 boxes of these a year and never tire of them, though they are getting rather expensive for an everyday indulgence (MOFOH Trinity Robusto is waiting to pick up the slack rather capably). While the Toro doesn't have the same finesse and the Torpedo brings more espresso and earth, the Robusto is a down-the-middle experience in the same way that the Beatles are down-the-middle: It is not the world's most "special" cigar, but it is a faithful and elegant companion for anything life throws my way.

[NYGuido]

From a cigar that I know and love like a dear friend to one I am tasting for the first time, I turn from the Millennium Robusto to a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 1 (LRO Oct. 24). Reading the "Beneath the Band" on this cigar prompted me to reach into this box for the first time and see whether it speaks to me in any meaningful way. So today, while on the most boring of conference calls, I brewed a pot of Wawa Holiday Blend coffee (if you know, you know), lit the stick, and entertained myself rather than listening to people drone on and on about something about which I could not possibly care less.

I read about this cigar a lot before trying it and the reviews seem mixed. Some people find it delightful, if uninteresting. Some find it special. Some find it less than worthwhile. Mine is young yet, so I am coming at this both as it stands now and with an eye (and a palate) toward where it might be in a year or so. The first inch was all cedar. Not bad, mind you, but not exciting. Like a dry Mag46 that was left in an Oregon forest for too long. Pleasant and friendly while tasting like a morning hike. Okay--not bad. Let's keep going.

Oh! Hello cream, nice of you to stop by. Softly the cream showed up around 1.5 inches in, still on top of a now rounder cedar core. This I can get behind. Really fitting for the holiday season in the northeast US, in fact. Almost tastes like I am smoking a Christmas wreath while sniffing a whipped cream can (not that I've ever done that...). Still not exciting, per se, but definitely bordering on interesting. And certainly pleasant, at the least.

Alas, not much development beyond that for the rest of the cigar. All told, this is good. Not bad, not great. Solidly good. But it has potential if that cream ever decides to step out from behind the cedar branches and announce itself more forcefully, particularly if it carries a loaf of bread with it (as I hear these sometimes do). I think this example is a good reminder that a cigar can show itself in the first year-ish even if it still needs time at finishing school in the back of a humidor somewhere.

Will I rush to Bond Roberts or 24:24 to buy another box? Probably not. But I am really looking forward to checking in on these in another 6-12 months and seeing where they sit.