Vegas Robaina Maestros RE (EMA SEP 07)

[Mike33]

The VR Maestros is a Gordito which is a double robusto vitola and made exclusively for the Spanish market in numbered boxes of 10 for total production of 20,000 boxes. I was very excited when these were announced and looked forward to trying them out, even though I am not a huge fan of the VR line.

Immediately upon picking this cigar up out of the box it felt light and was more spongy than usual. The foot looked ok, however, and the bunch was even throughout. As soon as I lit it I noticed it was a very loose draw. Too loose of a draw is more painful to me than a firm draw because often the cigar gets too hot. In spite of this, the cigar started off great flavor wise. Heavy cocoa bean and chocolate notes with a slight spice that made this a medium-light bodied smoke.

After the first ashing, I looked at the foot and realized why the draw was so loose and the cigar was becoming harsh. Too large holes where the cigar was under filled were immediately apparent.

These under filled spots continued throughout the rest of the cigar and I had to smoke it very slowly and keep it constantly rotating to keep it from overheating or conversely, going out. The cigar was pretty much downhill from there. It took on a more earthy and dry tasting profile that had a very short finish. Toward the end it recovered a little bit and became more full-bodied with a sweet, floral profile.

Overall: 85 because of the obvious construction problem. I don't know what to expect from the rest of the box because this cigar has generally received rave reviews. Hopefully this one was just a bad apple.