Rodolfo Taboada Doble Robusto

[Ginseng]

If you are in possession of Sr. Taboada's recently produced Tijuana LCDH custom rolls, you might want to hold off smoking them for awhile. In contrast to all the glowing reports on these cigars when they were roller table-fresh, the smart money says that they have started to shut down for their sick period prior to their first maturation. It could be a year or two before they are really showing their potential again.

My thanks go to the gracious benefactor and botl who sent me this stunning cigar for taste testing. After I received this solitary gem, I struggled to find the right opportunity to smoke it. I strongly suspected that this cigar was starting to shut down but I went ahead with the review so that I could acknowledge he who shall remain anonymous. It was either that or wait a year and I just couldn't do that. :-D

Pre-light Observations

This was a beautiful looking cigar! The corojo wrapper was a rich colorado hue. It was most unusual for the fact that it had an amazing depth of coloration that made the wrapper seem translucent and almost a living thing under sunlight. Although not "text book" pretty in terms of having a flawless and uniform vein-free wrapper, this cigar was clearly well wrapped in top quality capa. The cap was uniform and glued on solidly. Slitting the cap above the shoulder revealed the wrapper twisted to enclose the bunch. Circumcising one more layer exposed the bunch, uniform and just right for a good draw. The foot was sort of a half-shaggy. The bunch was trimmed square but the wrapper was allowed to overhand a bit, though not enough to close up the foot.

The scent of this cigar was leathery tobacco and a bit rustic. To my nose, it smelled young and sort of tangy. Fillage was good if a bit light but with no discernible soft or hard spots. Though not perfectly circular in cross section, it was built well.

Early Stage

The cigar caught fire with no problems at all and shortly, the foot was evenly lit. Initial impressions were of medium body with straightforward tobacco flavor. There was a subdued dash of pepper but certainly not enough to tickle the nose like a Party Shorts. Smoke volume was light to moderate and the draw was on the light side of a-ok.

About a half inch to an inch in, I was starting to get some earthy, leathery dimension to the medium tobacco but not too much else. Still hints of mild black pepper in the smoke. Expelling through the nose revealed a woody side to the flavors and just a bit of snap. Not harsh, not rich but heavy and sort of dense. Not much smoke, but what there was, was heavy, sort of oily.

Since I wasn't getting much of a response just letting this cigar soak in, I tried a variety of drawing techniques to see if I could wake it up a bit. I don't think I was totally successful. An occasional double pull elicited some sharper tobacco and nutty notes but that was about as much as I got. To its credit, it never did get harsh even with some more determined draws.

Late Stage

As the cigar passed the halfway mark and moved into the last third, harsh edges started peeking in. The medium tobacco base that was there from the beginning started to become disorganized and chaotic. It's hard to describe but every now and then, I will be smoking a cigar and then suddenly, I hold it, look at it and wonder what is going on. The finish on the palate was rather nondescript and nothing to write home about. Since this was a rare cigar, I pushed it farther than I normally would have. But at the point where I stopped, the cigar was really no longer pleasurable to smoke. It seemed to be saying "hey, I'm done here, mind if I go home?"

Summation

I had never smoked a cigar so shortly after its having been rolled. I am left to suspect that the cigar had entered a deep funky period to sort things out under the capa or wrapper leaf and that I caught it just as the edgy charm of youth had dissipated. I have no reference points to gauge how this cigar will develop as it matures. It really wasn't like any other "young" smoke I've had where there was a certain harshness, and unbridled strength. If the heaviness of the smoke and great unlit aroma are any indication, this cigar may well develop nicely into a medium strength cigar in the coming years.

Thank you again, my generous brother of the leaf for giving me the chance to experience this cigar first hand. Although at this stage it did not live up to the hype, I hope that one positive outcome of this review will be that those who hold these cigars will continue to do so for a while longer. Perhaps, in time, these exclusive cigars will grow to be worthy of the legendary reputation that Sr. Taboada has established.

Wilkey

PS. If and when the Hamlet Salomones come in, I'll give them plenty of time before smoking.

[Phailure]

Appreciate the honest and excellent review! The pictures are a nice touch. I'm a sucker for cigar porn :-P Anyone else have any insights concerning aging custom rolled smokes?

[El Presidente]

Superb review

I have found a difference in Custom rolled cigars in Cuba and Custom rolled cigars outside ofCuba (rolled by the same roller).

I suspect that maintaining blend integrity is a challenge. You just do not have the same access to leaf when you are abroad. Sure, leaf is provided by Habanos s.a but storage conditions and shortages due to retail demand at point of sale can lead to compramises in blend being made.

[Curt]

Excellent review.

I picked up some DPs from his '05 visit and found that within a month, they had lost the "off the table" characteristics.

It's coming up on a year so I'll try another in a month or two. I wouldn't be suprised that I decide to let them sleep for another two years.

[xibbumbero]

I had every cigar Taboada rolled this go around and the Gold Medal blend was the best. X

[Mel]

» Excellent review.

» I picked up some DPs from his '05 visit and found that within a month,

» they had lost the "off the table" characteristics.

»

» It's coming up on a year so I'll try another in a month or two. I wouldn't

» be suprised that I decide to let them sleep for another two years.

I just burned one of those 05 DP Sat. night and it was good but the prelight showed some amonia still present. They will probably be about right when I get to the last one.:-(