Originally published on Tiki Bar Online.
Short Robusto, 4.375” x 50 ring gauge / MSRP ~$3.75
Last Tuesday, I took a look at the new Azan White Premium line, one of three new blends released under the Azan brand by the Roberto Duran Premium Cigars company at this summer’s IPCPR show. For those wondering (as I was) who Duran is, this quote from a company press release explains it well:
Roberto Pelayo Duran began his life’s work in his homeland of Havana, Cuba where tobacco grabbed a hold of him, and never let go. Supervising the production of cigar manufacturing in Cuba was only the beginning as he later went on to assemble and manage distribution of all Cuban cigar brands for Asia and Canada for The Pacific Cigar Company Ltd. Most recently, he contributed to the new global brand marketing strategy for Dunhill Cigars as a consultant. Roberto’s new venture gives him the platform to introduce a brand of cigars that offer the same quality, construction, and detail which he exceeded from those he supervised while in Cuba.
The Azan Burgundy Line was made for “daily enjoyment and perfect to share with friends.” it uses grade 3 and 4 Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper around all Nicaraguan fillers (from Jalapa and Estelí) and binder (Jalapa). They are offering this blend in 4 sizes, including the Short Robusto they sent me for review.
The Azan Burgundy band has the same design as the White Premium, except the majority of the coloration is…Burgundy…instead of white. Makes sense! Of the two, I think this one looks better. The wrapper had a bit more oil visible to the eye, though the feel under the fingertips was about the same. The dark tan color had a blush of red in it, but not much. The aroma of it was a mix of sweet hay and wood and the foot had a fairly strong cedar aroma. I snipped the end and got a good cold draw that had flavors of berries and cedar.
When lit the cigar gave up sweet, grassy flavors at first, with a cedar finish and a bit of pepper on the palate. The retrohale had a much spicier pepper component. Through the rest of the first third, the Burgundy maintained a pleasant sweetness that had touches of molasses and natural tobacco. The pepper mellowed significantly to a point of practically nothing by the end of the third.
Touches of sweetness continued in the second third, but the interesting new flavor was a floral note that crept in. Construction was excellent so far. Draw, ash, and burn line were all in great shape as I finished off the second third.
Through the final third I got more floral and sweet flavors from the Azan Burgundy with no trace of the pepper spice lingering. The retrohale was woody mostly. I enjoyed the Burgundy more overall than the White Premium, mostly because it had a lesser cedar component. They seem similar in specific flavors, but balanced differently. The price on these is excellent, making them great for smokers on a budget. Body and strength were strictly medium.
Body: 5/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 6/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
