Vitola: Robusto (Tubo)- 4.875” x 50 ring gauge
- ~$9.50
- Provided by Regius Cigars
Background
First things first…I have to let you know that I have entered into an agreement to redesign the website for Regius Cigars. At the time of this publication there isn’t anything to show you on that matter, but I did receive a partial payment for my work in the form of cigars. I had not intended to do any reviews of these cigars because of the possible appearance of a conflict of interest, but then I smoked one of these Black Label Robusto Tubos and I knew I had to share the experience.
Regius Cigars was founded by Akhil Kapacee. The company is British and originally was distributed in Europe, but expanded distribution to the U.S. in 2013. They have quite an expansive product line at this time, but today I’m looking at their original “Regius of London” blend, also commonly referred to as the “Black Label.” These cigars are Nicaraguan puros made in the Plasencia factory in Nicaragua.
To date, I’ve smoked several cigars from the Black Label line, although this is the second of the specific Robusto Tubo size I have smoked. As mentioned above, the company provided me with these, but I have bought others in the past. I got some background info from Cigar-Coop’s review of a different vitola. One of our sponsors, Small Batch Cigar, carries this blend in this size.
Prelight
The Tubo is cool to start with. Black Tubos are not an everyday occurrence…it looks rich and stunning. The cigar band itself is no less so, with it’s black background, gold foil and subdued red ink usage. The wrapper leaf was a light brown color, darker than a Connecticut Shade, but lighter than many Habano leaves I’ve seen. It had a slightly oily feel to it and a few veins in evidence. It had a ripe earthiness mixed with a bit of grassiness, while the foot had deeper earth note, with additional aromas of coffee and chocolate.
Once clipped the cigar had a great draw with cold flavors of sweet hay, dried berries and cedar.
Flavor
Lighting up the Regius Black label, I got a smooth, medium-bodied smoke that had sweet, almost molasses notes at time, grassiness, and a tiny bit of citrus sweetness and tang. There was a tiny bit of pepper on the palate, but the retrohale had a hotter pepper burn, along with more grass and some roasted nuttiness. The first few minutes of the cigar were rich and complex and satisfying in a way that went way beyond the price tag of the stick. I hate applying this word to a cigar, because tobacco inevitably tastes like the country it is grown in, but this Robusto Tubo version of the Regius Black Label was very Cubanesque right from the start, both in overall body and even some flavors. It may have been the absence of any aggressive earthiness or pepper on the palate that helped minimize the fact that is was a Nicaraguan Puro.
As I got into the second third, earth was introduced into the mix, although as a background note, behind notes of citrus, hay, and cedar. The molasses notes came up from time to time and there was a slight increase in pepper, from white to black.
The final third was mellow and pleasant, with earth, hay and citrus all mixing together. The spice on the palate did not increase more from the black pepper level of the second third. On the nose, it continued to be nutty with just a bit of pepper.
Construction
I had a very good draw, even burn line and solid ash.
Value
The price tag on the Regius Black Label line is very fair for the experience they deliver.
Conclusions
The Regius of London Black Label blend is an excellent cigar with a high level of complexity in its medium-bodied smoke. It had enough Nicaraguan notes to not let you forget where it came from, but enough sweetness, grassiness, and citrus to make you think of Cuban cigars from time-to-time. I can’t recommend these highly enough, especially for what amounts to a bargain price tag.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
