CW Review: Hamilton Reserve Robusto
Launched in 1996, by Consolidated Cigar, the Hamilton by H. Upmann line was one of the first celebrity cigars, named for actor George Hamilton. The Hamilton Reserve is a companion line also launched in 1996, featuring a Connecticut Shade wrapper instead of the Indonesian wrapper of the H. Upmann line. The filler and binder are Dominican.
The Hamilton Reserve cigars are manufactured in the Tabadom factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Front Mark |
Size |
SRP |
Lady H |
5 x 26 |
$5.70 |
Zorro |
7.5 x 38 |
$8.00 |
Corona |
5.5 x 42 |
na |
Robusto |
5 x 50 |
$8.00 |
King George |
7.5 x 50 |
$9.15 |
Torpedo |
6.125 x 52 |
$8.40 |
Ashley |
5.5 x 31 |
$6.10 |
Don Jorge |
7 x 48 |
$6.85 |
Lord H |
9.25 x 50 |
$12.35 |
Pre-Smoke Comments
Alvester Clark (Aclark): Wrapper appeared wringled,dry, uneven color with many holes maybe caused by band removal. Qualities seen in seconds. One had a nice spice aroma. Firm bunch feel but light in weight.
David Dean (ÃYogi): Nice firm roll, medium brown with fine veins and an even cap. No noticeable aroma pre lite.
Glen Pirnie (LabRat367): Cigar had a very uniformed wrapper. Tan to claro in appearances. If looks could kill, this cigar is deadly. Firm, but not too hard roll. Cap was barely detectable. Very little if any pre-light aroma was it's only pre-light drawback.
Mike Rah (ÃLuvDog): The wrapper was a very nice light brown with very few veins. It had a smooth texture and a nice aroma before lighting. The pre-light draw was smooth and easy. This looks like a high quality cigar. There were no soft spots and the caps were nice and solid. The only tear was a small spot, probably from the band being removed.
Skip Pacheco (Thairlar): The light brown wrapper was very consistent in appearance and texture, marred only by some shipping damage which I don't count against the score. The bunch was very consistent as well, yielding gently to pressure. There was a very pleasant spicy aroma, and the pre-light draw was easy but not overly so. All in all, a very well constructed cigar.
Vince Tinajero (Bad Karma): These two samples were 5x49 robusto's. They were in a natural colored wrapper and their was some slight veins in both of the samples. One of the samples had some hard spots and dark spots on the wrapper. Pre-light aroma was negligible.
William A. Canady (Cigartist): Smooth fine grain and very little vein, light color with a tight roll and a good smell. The only problem with the construction was the cap, which was a little rough and very loose. The cigar burned perfect. It burned even, all the way to the nub. The ash was light gray with solid form. The aroma was nice. The only thing that wasn't all that great, for me, was that the cigar drew too easy. It eventually tightened up so it finished well.
Smoke Comments
Alvester Clark (Aclark): Good spice flavor in one sample due to good solid draw. The second sample flavor taste of air due to underfill, too easy draw hindering the flavor development. A mild-medium body that developed slowly without any harsh taste but one dimensional overall. Bad uneven burn in one sample. Nice spice aroma.
David Dean (ÃYogi): A pleasant earthy woodiness with a mild aftertaste of leather, others noted a pronounced aroma which they said was unpleasant, but it didn't effect the flavor.
Glen Pirnie (LabRat367): Lit nicely and burned evenly thru both samples. Firm light gray ash that had to be coaxed to be removed. Draw was easy enough, but needed a little work at times. Volume of smoke was adequate, but nothing to write home about. Aroma and flavor pretty much match presmoke aroma, very little. An even burn is probably this cigar's best attribute.
Mike Rah (ÃLuvDog): The first 1" was a bit harsh, with a slight metallic aftertaste. After that the taste smoothed out and became very light. There was plenty of smoke and the burn was even, but with that much smoke and the beautiful wrapper, I was expecting more flavor. I did detect a bit of earthiness. The last inch is where the flavor finally kicked in a bit.
Skip Pacheco (Thairlar): The first third of this cigar started off very bitter, with a slight hint of sweetness towards the end. The sweetness continued into the second third, emerging more in contrast to the bitterness which remained to some extent and was definitely present in the aftertaste. The sweetness remained during the final third, the bitterness starting to be moderated by hints of the spiciness the pre-light aroma promised. The burn was even, resulting in a firm, gray ash and a good amount of smoke.
Vince Tinajero (Bad Karma): Both samples lit easily and burned evenly with a medium gray ash. Both cigars produced adequate smoke and had a nice aroma. The strength of these cigars on first light was spicy but not too long after that turned out to be a mild to medium smoke and one-dimensional.
William A. Canady (Cigartist): The smoke was very pleasant, the strength was right about where I like it. Not to strong, but not mild at all. The flavor was a bit off for the first half, but that may have had to do with the draw. Once it tightened up, it was great with a bit of a woody taste with a hint of a little nut. It was well balanced and seemed to get better as I smoked it. It was a little sweet in the beginning but that soon burned off. Overall a really descent smoke.
Summary Comments
Alvester Clark (Aclark): Inconsistency noted made this smoke difficult to enjoy or suggest to others. A cigar that beginners could enjoy. I suggested others to try singles before box purchase. Construction made it difficult to enjoy.
David Dean (ÃYogi): Overall a very well made cigar with a nice even burn and a pleasant woody/earthy flavor and no bitterness what so ever. I would readily recommend these to a medium flavor EMS cigar lover. I smoked it to the nub.
Glen Pirnie (LabRat367): The actual smoking experience didn't live up to this stick's excellent appearance. It is definitely of the mild variety, which isn't bad, but even for a mild variety I find it somewhat lacking in flavor. I could still find a place in the morning rotation for this one, only on occasion. Nothing I would want to smoke daily. If you enjoy a Leon Jimenes, Licenciados or Santa Damiana give this one a whirl
Mike Rah (ÃLuvDog): This cigar was too mild for my tastes, but I think this is a wonderful mild, smooth quality smoke that I would recommend to people who like mild cigars. The wrapper was high quality, the construction was fine, the amount of smoke was excellent, and the draw was perfect... it just lacked strength and flavor for me.
Skip Pacheco (Thairlar): I'd have to call this cigar fair. If the price were right I'd buy a couple to let them get some age on them. The solid construction makes me want to give this cigar the benefit of the doubt, although the flavor did not reach its full potential because it was too bitter.
Vince Tinajero (Bad Karma): Upon first light, I thought I was going to be in for a treat with a nice spicy cigar. It soon went away and turned out to be one-dimensional. It was a decent cigar but not one that I would buy a box of.
William A. Canady (Cigartist): Overall great smoke, bumpy start but good finish. Didn't come across as a pretty smoke, not your Saturday night on the town smoke, more like your Sunday afternoon football stick. On the scale provided, it was a great smoke for a nice sitting around smoke. Would make it a regular smoke.
Scores
Reviewer | ||||||||
Alvester Clark | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 25.0 |
David Dean | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 39.0 |
Glen Pirnie | 5.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 36.0 |
Mike Rah | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 32.0 |
Skip Pacheco | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 30.0 |
Vince Tinajero | 3.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 36.0 |
William A. Canady | 4.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 38.0 |
Averages | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 34.4 |
For more information see the link below for Review Methods. |
Review Results
Final Score: 34.4 out of 50
3 1/2 Stars -- Above Average
Mild, Dominican cigars usually get hammered here, so a 34.4 score is actually quite high, considering. They are well-made, with a mild, slightly sweet flavor and a woody character. The finish is short and dry. But at $8.00 MSRP for the Robusto, I can't help but think that without George's cut of $2 to 3 dollars, these would be a decent $5 dollar smoke. And George really doesn't need the money!