Cigar Weekly

Havana Republic owns and operates some of the finest cigar emporiums in the country. The company currently has 4 retail locations, 3 in Florida and one in the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, their most recent location. They also have their own line of cigars that are made in their own factory in the Jalapa Region of Nicaragua. The cigars are a Nicaraguan puro and are made with Cuban seed wrapper that is aged for two years. The cigars are then box pressed and aged 120 days in cedar vaults before shipping. The cigars are available in eight sizes and the MSRP ranges from $5.00 to $7.50.

Royal Corona details:

• Size: 44 x 5.5 inches
• Tobaccos: All Nicaraguan
• Price: $5.00

Cigar Weekly reviews are blind taste tests conducted by our readers. Reviewers are sent three samples with all identifying marks removed. Reviewers are chosen randomly from the list of everyone that has signed the Cigar Weekly Guest Book. Their comments are below.

Pre-Smoke Comments

Andy Martello (Asmoker): Smooth & soft to the touch with a slightly veiny appearance. A box-pressed smoke with more of a rectangular shape. Excellent wrapper color. No soft spots and a well-bunched cigar. There was an indenture that suggested a residual marking from a band from a bundled cigar on one of the samples. This caused a "bubbling" under that portion of the wrapper, but did not affect taste or burn. I'm guessing that it is a Nicaraguan cigar. The ash was not very solid and would be a hindrance if you were smoking this in the car or someplace a bit more active.

Darin Dahlquist (Kafeend): This boxed pressed Toro came wrapped in a silky smooth maduro wrapper with some light colored veins that did not break the surface of the wrapper. The bunch was well constructed and solid with only one soft spot detected in the 1st sample, good mouth feel but a little light in the hands. If I didn't know any better I would say this resembles a slender PAM. A very rough almost non-existent cap on both samples. Excellent pre-smoke draw and aroma.

Don Kendrick (SmegHead): When I first saw the cigars, they looked a lot like a Padron Anivarsery. Will have to taste one and see. Very even box press maduro, with no veins on either cigar. Cap is smooth and tight. Wrapper has a smooth but leathery feel.

George Reis (DigitalGuy): This extreme box pressed cigar is shaped like a carpenters pencil, had a rich dark color, slightly veiny, and was very solid with a slightly rough leather-like feel. Looking at it, one has high expectations. The cigar smelled very good - not overwhelming, not too subtle. However, one of them was a bit plugged on predraw - that was only slightly corrected with a draw poker.

James Bartlett (cecgm389@aol.com): Very good first impressions. At first I thought I was going to review a PAM. Dark maduro box-pressed cigar. Upon closer examination I noticed a few big veins and irregular "seams". Very firm bunch but not hard. No soft/hard spots.

Jim Johnson (bikenic): These are nice looking box pressed cigars with Maduro wrappers. Nice tight roll, almost too tight, no soft spots but very tight at the head. Pre light draw is wrong, too tight. Flavor is mild at best.

Mike Headley (huskerMike): This looks like a well made, nice looking box pressed cigar. Firm bunch, smooth wrapper that is dark brown in color. One of the caps was coming off but, other than that, good looking sticks. I am in the habit of taking a pre light draw after I clip my cigars. This is when I found that it was a very tight cigar. It lit easy and gave off a nice, though subtle aroma. The burn is uneven with a coal that was coned in both samples. I had to correct runners in both.

Smoke Comments

Andy Martello (Asmoker): Smoked very well. Very little burn on the tongue. Very well built and it had a near perfect burn. Surprisingly it was more on the mild side, which if it is a Nic cigar as I suspect it is a bit surprising. While the flavor was good it just was a bit flat for my tastes. I expected a bit more when considering the construction and great aroma. With just a little more kick this would have been an awesome smoke.

Darin Dahlquist (Kafeend): The Toro lit with little effort and a great aroma floated out upon heavy plumes of blue smoke. A distinct sweet flavor, I am guessing Honduran appeared with a touch of age upon it. As I smoked the cigar down it burned evenly producing a dark gray ash that was solid and flat. The flavor was great the first two puffs but settled into a very mild groove, creeping into one-dimensional. Some woody characters joined the fight " way through the stick. There was no burn on the tongue or in the back of the throat. It smoked without event down to an inch or so and we said our goodbyes.

Don Kendrick (SmegHead): Cut was effortless. No wrapper unraveling. Lighting was a breeze. Burn was even to abit off set. Had a perfect to tight draw that got better as the cigar burned down. First 1/3 of the cigar gave great hints of coco, and earthiness, with some woody spices. A tad bit mild at first. The next 1/3 gave way to more of a fuller body. The woody flavor became more pronounced with some bitterness. The ash was dark gray and flaky. The last 1/3 of the cigar had a more fuller flavor. The cocoa was more pronounced along with the woodiness.

George Reis (DigitalGuy): The first of the two generated ample smoke, the second was a bit plugged, and drew hard. Both burned well, with slight runs that were easily corrected. Ash color varied - mostly gray to dark gray. On the one with the better draw, the taste was very good - a bit leathery (love that leather taste), and opened on the last third bringing in sweet flavors with some woody and nutmeg taste. However, all these flavors were a bit mild, and would have been great if the flavors were more full. The strength of this cigar was mild - I smoked both as my first cigar of the day, which was a good choice both from a flavor and strength standpoint.

James Bartlett (cecgm389@aol.com): Very even burn on both samples. Solid gray ash. Actually very solid, I could of won a longest ash contest with my first sample. Both were smooth smokes that never got harsh/bitter. Each had a straightforward earthly/Nicaraguan flavor. Almost "Padronish". But unfortunately it was very one-dimensional. No complexity.

Jim Johnson (bikenic): I'm really having a hard time with these cigars. I lit the cigar, started off with faintly decent Nicaraguan flavor, after that nothing. These cigars are flat on flavor(Nada,nothing). I mean it's wants to be there but I get almost nothing.

Mike Headley (huskerMike): The flavor is on the medium side and has good balance (when I can get enough smoke thru to taste). Medium-light in strength and body. If I had to put words to the flavor, it would be a bit sweet at the start getting wood like in the middle to end. There was a sharp sweetness to the after taste but it didn't last long.

Summary Comments

Andy Martello (Asmoker): This cigar reminded me of a milder Padron or Bahia. It's odd to think about it perhaps my opinion of the cigar was altered by having to scrutinize it so much for the reviewing process. If it were gifted to me by one of my friends over a few beers I probably would have LOVED this cigar. But I may have expected too much from the samples and hence, became more critical than I normally would have been. That being said, it was a very well made cigar with qualities that many of the more expensive cigars wish they had (even boast that they have) but simply don't. Great construction, excellent aroma, fine burn, and a pleasant taste. My review in points show it to be a slightly above average cigar and I think in light of its mildness, that's a fair description. I thank you for the opportunity to review this cigar and can't wait to see what it was (hoping that it's not some world-renowned classic so everyone who reads this doesn't think I'm a total IDIOT!)

Darin Dahlquist (Kafeend): I have smoked plenty of cigars that exuded excellent taste/depth but with constant burn or construction problems. This cigar was just the opposite. It was a feast to the eyes, very silky wrapper to the touch and solid. Lit perfect and never burned uneven or went out, but it went down hill after the first few puffs. I thought it would develop into a well-aged taste extravaganza, but I was sorely mistaken. If a VERY mild breakfast cigar is your bag, or you're a beginner looking for a reliable cigar with not much kick this is your stick. Otherwise I would have to pass on it.

Don Kendrick (SmegHead): Over all a great cigar. I did have some problems with both burning uneven. One cigar had some tunneling problems after I tapped the ash. But it did correct itself abit further down the cigar. The taste of the cigar was great. Medium to full body flavor. Earthy tones with some cocoa. Good volumes of smoke. Over all score could have been better if it wasn't for the burn problems that I encountered. But I did like the cigar.

George Reis (DigitalGuy): This was a good cigar. It's a bit hard to get used to the shape, and the second one being plugged didn't help this cigar get as good a rating as I may have otherwise given it. The flavors were wonderful, but not strong enough (in flavor). If this cigar had a stronger taste, and the one wasn't plugged, I would put it into my regular rotation immediately. Instead, I will try some others in the line to see if they bring on the flavor a bit more.

James Bartlett (cecgm389@aol.com): This cigar seemed an average little cigar. I think it would appeal to many a Padron (non-Anniversary) or Sancho Panza smoker. I figure based on the construction it is an affordable cigar. But the flavor just didn't hook or interest me. Nothing impressed me with it except for the ash length. Although I had no draw/burn problems. Probably not a cigar I would buy.

Jim Johnson (bikenic): These are decent looking cigars. Supposedly Toro's but the one's I received were 5 1/2 X ?(box pressed).I can't see myself smoking these again.I'm sorry but they were just Flat, not really bad but Flat. Can not recommend!!

Mike Headley (huskerMike): This was an okay smoke. Nothing more. Agreeable character and not a powerhouse in flavor and body. If it wasn't for the draw and burn, I may have actually have enjoyed this cigar a little more.

Scores

Review Results
Final Score: 32.9 out of 50

3 1/2 Stars -- Above Average

Most people haven't heard of this cigar and I'm guessing that most of this week's reviewers have never tried it. The cigar received good points for construction but a few reviewers didn't care for the box press shape. Most described it as mild and somewhat similar to Padron. The biggest complaint was that they were too mild. Andy Martello summed it up when he said, "With just a little more kick this would have been an awesome smoke." Worth trying, especially when sitting in one of HR's cigar emporiums, relaxing with a drink.

Find out more:

This Issues Reviewers
Review Methods