Monday, February 06 2012
Berger & Argenti Entubar Robusto
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 5 3/8" x 54
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut (Desflorado)
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Presentation: Box of 20 cigars and 5-packs
Location Smoked: Leaf Cigar Bar
Appearance and feel: Very attractive; nice silky wrapper, well packed. The black and yellow "ADVISORY" band at the foot does take a little away from the appearance, but there's good reason for it.
Paired with: Svedka Citron & tonic; Pepsi; Pulled pork & chicken chili
Draw: Just right
Pre-light flavor: Toasty
Toasting & Light: Excellent (See my General Observations comments below for details)
First puff: Creamy and bready. You can almost feel the thickness of the smoke on the palate.
Retrohale: Smooth and woody
Base flavors: Woody, earthy, well-balanced. semi-sweet, with some sweet spice.
Aroma: Sweet
Burn / Ash: Excellent burn. No re-touching required. Ash was quite firm and held on for just over an inch before dropping off.
General Observations: The first thing I learned is that when a company puts a black & yellow "advisory" band to draw your attention to something about the cigar, READ IT. I started to light this cigar as I would a
perfecto by starting with the fuse. Got a puff or two, then it would go out. Hmm...Then I remembered the fuse is a
ligero leaf, which does not take well to fire. So, I picked up the black & yellow label. "THOROUGHLY TOAST THE ENTIRE CIGAR FOOT BEFORE LIGHTING" were the instructions. Once I did that, the cigar lit in a snap! (Now why didn't I think of that.)
The first few puffs were exceptionally creamy, toasty, and a little nutty with some sweet spice flavors mixed in. As the first ash burned, a smaller ash from the fuse remained. I thought that was sort'a cool. The smoke was primarily medium in body, very well balanced and consistent in flavor down to the last inch. I think I could like this cigar a lot. I smoked the cigar right through my meal and never had to re-light. This may have to do with he entubar rolling, since the air-flow is better.
Summary: This was my NFL Championship game cigar, so I decided to take it to Leaf Cigar Bar yesterday, and smoke it there. In case you don't know what "entubar" rolling is, it's an old Cuban cigar rolling technique where each filler leaf is carefully rolled into itself creating delicate scrolls (or tubes) that make up the bunch. The result is a much better draw and richer flavor. The sweetness comes from the Desflorado priming of the wrapper leaf. Because the flowers are removed from the plant prematurely, the leaves make more sugar, thus the aroma and flavor are also sweeter. This cigar was really enjoyable on all levels, and in the last half exhibited more complexity, which was a nice surprise, and the smoke never turned bitter.
Rating: ♦♦♦
See all Berger & Argenti Entubar cigars.
Rating scale ♦ = Fair to Midland
♦♦ = Good
♦♦♦ = Excellent
♦♦♦♦ = Outstanding
♦♦♦♦♦ = Extraordinary
