Cigar Review: San Lotano maduro robusto

Last week I attended the San Lotano cigar launch at Baranows Lounge in Melbourne. Although the talking point of the night was the newly released San Lotano Oval, the three other cigars in the San Lotano range were offered as well. This week I was up in Hunter Valley wine country for a quick getaway with the family. After my two beautiful children fell off to the land of nod, I escaped to enjoy some rural serenity with the maduro robusto for company.

The wrapper, sourced by AJ Fernandez Cigars from San Andreas, Mexico, appears thick and rich and the pre-light draw offers hints of dark chocolate. The blend also includes a Honduran binder with Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. Upon lighting, the maduro offers a nice black pepper start, thick rich smoke, and a long, spicy finish on the back of the palate.

The second third continues with black pepper flavours on the nose, but increasingly there is more smoothness evident. As a former junior baseball player who use to go digging for my glove in the garage when each summer season approached, the aroma reminded me of 'old baseball glove leatheriness'. The spiciness on the back of the palate is also tapering off.

The final stages of the cigar continue with the leather and black pepper notes. It is a consistent, luxurious, well-balanced cigar. It doesn't offer major, life-altering changes at each stage, but it is a steady, high-quality cigar. I'd rate it as a full-bodied stick - I'd like to try the other shapes it is available in - Toro, Churchill, Gordo and Torpedo, to see if there are any major flavour differences.

The San Lotano cigar range made by AJ Fernandez Cigars is available exclusively at Baranows.