AJ Fernandez, New World Navegante Robusto and Gobernador toro

I bought a box of the Robusto in February 2021 and a box of the Toro in June 2022. All entries before June 2022 are Robusto.

1. February 24th, 2021

This is a lightly packed, not too oily maduro wrapped, box pressed robusto with an extra half inch from the standard five. Flavour was maduro-earthy but deep and complex. Aroma rich and sometimes floral. Draw was easy. Burn was perfect. Finish long. Body full. Strength hitting the full tones. A very satisfying 70 minutes.

Construction: A well-made robusto-extra cigar, 5.5 x 55. It is box pressed so it's difficult to gauge the ring gauge. The cigar is light weight and loosely packed but not lacking in substance.

Draw: very easy draw. Volumes of smoke.

Burn: perfect burn. No touch-ups required. 

Flavour: earthy chocolatey maduro flavour, almost dirty flavour.

Body: Full body from the outset.

Strength: Moments of strength otherwise medium.

Finish: Adequate but not as long as I would prefer.

Aroma: Excellent aroma, bordering on floral, exhibiting all of the qualities of a complex blend.

Consistency: But for the occasional fluctuations of strength (which could have be me backing off for a few minutes) a consistently good cigar.

Time smoke: 70 leisurely minutes  

Overall: Very satisfying; impressive complexity in both flavour, despite the dirty taste, and aroma.

2. March 22nd, 2021 Another excellent selection from the box. Light weight, easy draw, almost perfect burn, plenty of smoke, but despite that lack of resistance, the cigar lasted around 85 minutes. The flavour was as with the first: earthy, woody, chocolatey, maduro. It opened with a spice blast which died down and returned in the final third. Finish was much longer than the first sample, allowing for the longer duration. Aroma was pleasantly rich, but could have been richer. Strength built nicely to full body. Overall, this was a very satisfying, complex and well-balanced cigar which I smoked to the very nub.

3. May 3rd, 2021 Perfect in every way: draw, just enough resistance; burn straight needing no correction; flavour and aroma both deep, complex, rich and balanced. Medium strength and body. 90 minutes. Very satisfying. 

4. 27th May: Another fine example of this blend: a bold pepper kick-off, then a little mild during the first third, but building in strength and flavour throughout, culminating in a strong, full body.  There was a little pocket of emptiness in the second half, but flavour was soon restored. There was a development to full body in the final third with a good punch of strength. Beautiful construction and easy draw with 'just the right amount of resistance' as I mentioned above. 85 minutes. Very satisfying.

5. 14th June, 2021: Much as above in terms of rich flavour, easy draw, medium body and delicious, long finish. Flavour was a little milder than previous cigars and no culmination in full body. It was medium at best. There was not much spice. The final third was lacking in richness. The finish - or aftertaste - was one of the most sustaining qualities of this cigar. It was a very pleasant maduro flavour, with a hint of sweet black tea. Aroma was good throughout. 85 min - Quite satisfying.

6. August 26th, 2021. One of my favourites, for good reason. The cigar is smooth, mellow, rich, complex, never strong, clean finish, medium bodied, easy draw, perfect burn and complex aroma. All of this in a 5.5 inch cigar that lasted 80 minutes. Very satisfying to the nub.

7. October 13th, 2021. This one was a bit disappointing. If started off well, with excellent, complex flavour, as described above, perfect burn and easy draw. But after one inch flavour started to dissipate and complexity waned. There were still patches of rich flavour and intense aroma throughout. But in the main, the cigar was a bit lacking. Nonetheless I smoked it to the nub. 78 minutes. Pleasant. 

8. November 25th, 2021: Another mediocre cigar. First puffs were rich and spicy, but that soon mellowed to a smoother, more cocoa-like flavour with a slight taste of black tea. This was quite pleasant, rich and complex. In some ways, it was similar to the Lotano Oval Robusto, but more complex.  But the final third was a let down: body and complexity were lacking with the black tea flavour dominating. Draw and burn were faultless. Pleasant, but not satisfying. 85 minutes. 

9. January 19th, 2022: This cigar was excellent, just like 3, 4, 5 and 6 above. Strong peppery start, very smooth, complex, dark roast, middle section, a nice level of strength, excellent aroma, easy draw and more than 70 minutes burn time. Very satisfying, despite being one of the shorter burn times. 

10. February 21st, 2022: Another delicious example of balance and complexity. Not a harsh moment. Flavour was consistent throughout. Excellent, rich aroma which was ever present, not just coming and going. Strength was perfect: just enough to be interesting and add body while never overwhelming. Full body throughout. 80 minutes. Very satisfying. 

11. May 26th, 2022: Very satisfying: smooth, creamy, full bodied, well balanced, excellent aroma and aftertaste. Flavour was at the medium to dark roast level, but deliciously complex.  Draw and burn were excellent. Close to 90 minutes. Very satisfying.

1. June 8th, 2022 Toro: At six and a half inches, the Gobernador Toro is one inch longer than its Robusto cousin. It began with the same easy draw, voluminous plume and steady burn. Flavour, body and complexity all began similar to that of the robusto. Flavour was a dark chocolately, earthy, spicy, complexity with a nice twang in the aftertaste.The only difference from the robusto would have been a slightly weak spot in the middle of the cigar, where flavour diminished for a while and strength seemed a bit unbalanced. 

Aroma throughout was excellent: strong and rich. At 100 minutes I started to get a bit bored with the cigar, but that might have been a result of the oppressive June evening heat. Nonetheless, this was an excellent cigar. Satisfying.

At the one hour mark:

June 22nd, 2022 Toro: This cigar began wonderfully, with a full, rich, complex explosion that was sustained for the first two thirds. The final third lost that flavour and complexity. It was more a monodimensional vegetal flavour, lacking the chocolatey, coffee flavour. Draw and burn were excellent. Despite the detraction of the final third, I puffed on for nearly two hours. 110 minutes, quite satisfying. But the Robusto is probably a better vitola for this brand.  

July 4th, 2022, Naxos: Can't remember whether this was the Toro or the Robusto. But it was consistently delicious, so probably the robusto. Satisfying, but the wind on Naxos was a detraction. (Yes, it was the Robusto.) 

July 27th 2022, Toro. Less flavour than the robusto but still quite enjoyable. Around 95 minutes. Quite satisfying.

August 13th, 2022. Robusto: After a dud Joya Antano Belicoso I tried a New World Robusto, confident that it would be good. It was a bit of a mistake. The flavour of the Joya was still in the mouth, making it difficult to appreciate the New World. That should be a lesson. The palate needs time to reconstitute. I should have cut loss and not wasted the New World. Needless to say, I didn't taste much. 

August 27th, 2022: Toro - First third quite palatable, although not rich or complex, but by the second half, flavour dissipated to burnt toast. It was slightly resistant until the final third, but even after having opened up, it was still boring. 90 minutes. Not satisfying.

February 20th, 2023: Robusto: Quite mild for the first third. At two years in storage it seemed as though the cigar was losing a bit of its mojo. But flavour and body picked up by the middle of the cigar and I smoked it almost to the nub. 80 minutes. Quite satisyfing.

Mild in the first third but quite tasty to the end

March 29th, 2023: Robusto: A superb example of the blend: rich, consistent, great aroma, easy draw, perfect burn. Very satisfying. 90 minutes.

June 26th, 2023: Robusto Another excellent example of the blend: as above, rich, sweet and dark, complex flavour and aroma. Full body throughout. Burn was a bit wonky, but self corrected. Very satisfying around 75 minutes.