Originally published at Tiki Bar Online
Robusto, 5” x 52 ring gauge / approx. $4.50
When setting up his new venture, Erik Espinosa decided to try to hit several spots in the cigar market at once. The 601 series continue some of his strong cigars from the past (especially the 601 La Bomba, which has seen expansion recently); the Habano and subsequent Maduro form a new core line to establish his new brand. And those cigars branded “La Zona” are the value proposition. La Zona is named for the factory Espinosa set up in Esteli, Nicaragua. The cigars are made with Nicaraguan fillers and binder and come in a choice of either a Nicaraguan Habano or Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. They are each available in 2 sizes and come in crates of 80 sticks. This review is based on my first tasting of this blend and the cigar was part of the sampler pack that Espinosa Cigars sent me.
When I pulled the La Zona Habano from the cellophane, I noticed that the band looked a little weird…like the type on it was blurry or something. I looked at it more closely and then compared it with what I saw online at the company’s website and found something strange. On the website, there is a photo of the crate of 80 cigars. Above “La Zona” it says something, perhaps “Handmade In”; below “La Zona” it says “Esteli, Nicaragua.” But on the band itself, all that is supposed to be lettering is turned into a digitized block pattern that reminds me of QR code. Very odd. Not that it makes a huge amount of difference when it comes to smoking it, but a strange detail likely caused by cost-cutting on a bargain-priced stick. (When I got outside with the cigar, under sunlight, it became obvious that the lettering was still there, but horribly blurred to a point of being unreadable…if I didn’t know what it said already, I wouldn’t guess.) The cigar’s wrapper was oily and smooth to the touch. Construction seemed good except for on the cap which wasn’t pressed all the way down with the wrapper all the way around. Again, it wouldn’t likely cause a problem with smoking, but it was a bit of an appearance flaw. The wrapper had a rich earthy aroma, with a bit of woodiness. The foot had a more pungent earth aroma. After cutting the head, I took a cold draw. Very interesting flavors of orange peel, cedar and a light pepper spice came through.
Once lit, the flavor wasn’t quite as interesting, but it was very good. I noted earth and cedar up front, with sweet hay and natural tobacco underneath, and a lightly peppery retrohale. By mid-way through the first third, the flavors had settled into a rich natural and sweet tobacco, with just hints of pepper spice and citrus. So far, I was finding it quite nice in flavor and complexity.
Through the second third, the flavor did not change much, perhaps a bit of pepper spice creeping back up, but mostly it was just the sweet tobacco flavor that was working so well. Construction was excellent; I had a very good draw, solid ash up to an inch long, and a burn line that needed no touching up.
The La Zona Habano kept up the same profile through the end of the cigar. Although not the most complex cigar, the flavor was consistently good, so there’s no problem with that. I might have gotten a little bored with it in a longer vitola, but in the Robusto I smoked, it worked very nicely. Body was about medium-plus and nicotine strength was right in the middle. In the end, you have to take this cigar for what it is: a value-priced entry from a new factory that is meant to appeal to lower-income smokers who want something with a lot of flavor, as well as those who may be skeptical about the brand and find the price point attractive enough to try. For the latter group, I think they will find this cigar pleasing enough to go ahead and pop for a few extra bucks and try out the better offerings from Espinosa.
Body: 6/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 5/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
