Cigar Review: AFR-75 by PDR Cigars

by David Jones · September 9, 2013

Originally published at Tiki Bar Online

Sublime, 5” x 56 ring gauge / MSPR $14.75

This past year looks to have been a big one for Abe Flores and PDR Cigars. We saw a series of store-exclusive cigars distributed around the country. We saw a strategic partnership with Sean Williams and Primer Mundo lines. PDR was the first factory other than My Father to produce a cigar for Eddie Ortega (the Minis). And they are stepping up their regular lines with some limited edition smokes that should be very unique. Vikki from PDR contacted me recently to see if I’d like to try some of the new blends. I said “Yes” and she kindly sent me some cigars, so…this week I’ll be featuring 3 reviews from what she sent. First up is the AFR-75, named for Abraham Flores Rosario and 1975, the year he was born. AFR-75 is a pricey (for PDR) cigar that is a true limited edition: there will be 3 sizes and only 500 boxes of each size. The wrapper is a Mexican San Andres Maduro and the filler is Nicaraguan Criollo 98, Connecticut Broadleaf and Dominican (I couldn’t find a specific mention of what was used for binder). I was sent two samples of this blend; I smoked the larger Edmundo size first, and saved this Sublime for the review.

Does anyone remember last year when Pete Johnson was raked over the coals by some because the L’Atelier band looked a bit similar to that used for the Cohiba Behike? The first two people I showed this band to immediately thought this was a L’Atelier. And I’ll be honest, I see the influence of the Cuban Cohiba and Behike looks in this band as well, from the gold foil centerpiece of the band to the multiple rows of square dots. Call it inspiration…call it nothing new under the sun…the bottom line is, it still looks good. The wrapper leaf was dark chocolate brown, oily and toothy. At the foot it was very slightly shaggy-cut (the wrapper cut slightly shorter than the filler/binder)…but so slightly that it could have been the wrapper shrinking a bit after the cigar was cut. The head was finished in a small flag or fan-tail. Giving the wrapper a good sniff, I picked up sweet earthiness. The foot had a more barnyardy earth aroma, along with hay. The cold draw was very interesting as flavors of hay, mixed earth, and berries, along with a touch of red pepper.

Lighting up the AFR-75, I found the start was full-bodied and very earthy. I picked up notes of black coffee and dry cocoa powder, as well as a bit of sweetness to balance out the more bitter notes. The smoke production was also very heavy at first, and the retrohale had a big dose of pepper spice. As the first third continued, it stabilized into a profile that was earthy, smoky, and chocolatey…and also unlike anything I can remember having from PDR. I was thoroughly enjoying this blend in this vitola (the larger ring gauge Edmundo did not get nearly the same reaction from me).

The AFR-75 became sweeter in the second third, exhibiting notes of raisin and dark chocolate, though the bitter, earthy notes of coffee and baker’s cocoa were just underneath. The balance was almost perfect. Construction was very good; the draw was flawless thus far, the ash was solidly hanging on for almost an inch, and the burn line needed just a couple minor touch-ups to stay even, which is not at all unusual for Maduro wrapper leaves.

In the last third, the flavor profile was mostly unchanged and that was not a bad thing, because I was thoroughly enjoying the AFR-75. The only downside was that as it smoked down to the nub, the smoke started to get quite hot. I’ve had some PDR sticks that I’ve like and some that I didn’t like so much, but this one was great. It had an almost perfect balance of the bitterness brought by Mexican leaf and the sweetness brought by the Connecticut Broadleaf, along with plenty of spice and other subtle notes carried by the other components. The only other issue I can see is that of price. PDR cigars are usually among the most reasonable available, so a price of nearly $15 is a little hard to swallow. Despite that, though, I am giving a full point for value because it did fulfill its promise of being a higher end smoke from the company. I can’t recommend it for newer smokers because of the full body and medium to full strength, but those who enjoy a complex full-bodied stick may very well end up loving this as much as I did. I would not have given the Edmundo a 10, but this vitola did achieve that score.