Morro Castle Robusto

Brand of Cigar: Morro Castle

Name of Cigar: Robusto

Vitola: 4.7X52

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua and Honduras

Body: Mild-Medium

Time of Smoke: 0:50

MSRP Price: $4.00-5.75

Purchase Price: $2.00

Place of Purchase: Cigarbid.com

Intro:

I had been wanting to try this stick for some time now. Every time I get on Cigarbid I see these sticks, but always end up passing on them for some more well-known cigars. Finally, I bought a 5-pack of them the other day along with a host of other cigars. I ran into a bit of a bind because it was 6:00 PM and I had to get ready for the Monday night football games at 7:00 PM, so I decided to try one of these little guys so I could finish in time for kickoff. I took the Robusto out on the porch with a glass of Glen Ellen Pinot Grigio to get a celebratory smoke in before the first Monday game of the year.

Appearance/Construction: (21/25)

The first thing I noticed about this stick was the Connecticut leaf. I have been smoking a lot of maduros lately, so this one looked especially light to me. These Morro's have a nice big gold band on them that go well with the Connecticut wrapper, but it was almost too big for a 4.7 inch Robusto. I'm sure it would be fine on the other vitolas. This particular stick had a couple of major veins running up the body, but overall it looked pretty smooth. The cigar had a nice bounce to it which was nice, but after cutting the cap off it, I did notice a couple of stems in the filler which had me a little worried. Stems and veins couldn't scare me away though, It was time to light this one up.

Smoking Experience: (22/25)

After taking my matches to the stick I immediately noticed the earthy and woody tones. After about an inch I started to get into some nutty flavors and noticed a nice tight white ash hanging on the end of my stick. I was very impressed with how even this one burned, for a $2.00 stick I was expecting to have to touch this one up, but to my surprise I never had to. The cigar also produced a decent milky smoke. The flavor profile wasn't great here, It was a pretty mild stick with mostly woody tones, but I can't complain for the price. The cigar did get a little hot with about an inch left, but I was delighted that I never experienced any harshness.

Value: (23/25)

For $2.00 a stick I'm more than satisfied. It definitely isn't a top-shelf cigar but you can surely do worse, especially in the $2.00 range. The Morro Castle burnt evenly, required no touch ups, produced a nice smoke, and didn't get harsh so I'm going to have to say I would smoke it again. I was disappointed with the flavors, but this is a perfect cigar for the occasional party or fishing trip.

Overall Rating: (22/25)

If you're looking for a great flavor profile, than this is definitely not the stick for you. However, if you are looking for a nice mild everyday smoke or are a novice smoker, you can';t do much better than this for the price. It's always nice to get a cheap stick that you don't have to touch up and it is a nice vitola for the beginner or novice smoker. Like I said earlier, this one isn't a Cristo or Padron, but you can do a lot worse. Hell, Swisher Sweets cost almost $2.00 nowadays and this surely is no Swisher.

Rating: 88

Padilla Miami Edicion Limitada 2009

Brand of Cigar: Padilla

Name of Cigar: Miami Edicion Limitada 2009 Robusto

Vitola: 5X50 Robusto

Wrapper:

Binder:

Filler:

Body: Medium

Time of Smoke: 1:00

MSRP Price: $9.00-$10.00

Purchase Price: 20 cigar sampler for $30.00

Place of Purchase: Cigarbid

Intro:

After a long day of classes and homework I decided it was neccescary to grab a stick and enjoy the incoming storm on my balcony. Since it is starting to feel like summer is ending, I threw on some Springsteen Bluegrass, grabbed a glass of Glen Ellen 2010 Pinott Grigio, and lit one up. I bought a Padilla sampler awhile back, and thought the Padilla Miami would be a good go-to for the night.

Appearance/Construction: 24/25

The first thing I noticed about the Miami Robusto was the smoothness of the wrapper. The Miami came in a flawless maduro wrapper. It had no major veins running up it and was had a nice oily finish. The cap blended right in with the rest of the wrapper and after cutting it off, I found no stems in the filler. The cigar also had a healthy bounce to it and showed no cracks in the wrapper. The 5X50 was also the perfect size for my nightcap smoke.

Smoking Experience: 26/30

During the pre-light, I took in some earthy scents with some touches of chocolate. After lighting this one up, I Immidiately started getting into some peppery spice. The spice continued throughout the cigar and I was a little disappointed that that was all I was getting through the first third of the cigar. I was however very impressed with the burn of this particular stick. $1.00-$2.00 cigars usually need some touch-ups, but that was not the case with this maduro. I waited until I had a nice two inch grey ash before finally tapping it off to avoid cigarbage. I think this one could be a good specimen for a long-ash contest; may have to challenge my fellow Cigarnivore the next time I'm home. In the second and final thirds the spice remained but I was able to decipher some hints of mocha that complemented the spice nicely. I would have liked to see a little more complexity in the flavor profile, but the mocha and pepper did work well. Throughout the smoke, the cigar pulled well and produced a solid heavy cloud with every puff. It did get hot towards the end, but even with an inch left, I never experienced any harshness.

Value: 18/20

For $2.00 a pop, the Padilla Miami definitely has great value, granted the sticks I bought came in a sampler with the cheaper Padilla Single Batches, so you can expect to pay more when purchasing the Miami's individually. The MSRP on these Miami's is a little steep in my opinion. For $9.00-$10.00 I feel that there are some cigars with better flavor profiles, but again you can't beat these cigars for $2.00. Anytime I can get a $2.00 stick that burns evenly and requires no touch-ups, I'm more than satisfied.

Overall Rating: 22/25

Overall the Padilla Miami Robusto was a pretty good smoke. It was a great looking stick and I was overly impressed with the quality of the burn. You really just don't see that from the usual $2.00 stick. The thickness of the smoke was good throughout the cigar, and the pull was also very consistent. The only thing I would have liked to see was a more complex flavor profile, but for this price I will definitely chalk this one up as a good purchase. Despite the less than complex flavor profile, this one gets a solid rating from me.

Rating: 90