5.25 x 5 Robusto
1. 7th November 2020
I bought a bundle of these cigars back in July or August. At around $10 per cigar, they are a budget long filler Cuban. However there is nothing second rate about their performance. They are mild to medium bodied with good strength. Burn time is a little inconsistent, ranging from 58 to 95 minutes.
The more popular Entretiempos - 4.3 inches x 52 - comes in tins of 16.They look like expensive tea tins, such as you might find from Harrods. I have gone through several such vessels and I must say, I enjoyed the contents of every one. They were at one time my stock favourite Cuban. They were inexpensive and delivered a good deal of flavour around the medium bodied spectrum.
I recall a few surprises with the Entretiempos. First, I had one cigar which was so strong - despite the mild flavour - that I almost fell off my chair after the first inch. I have never experienced such a nicotine-bomb before or since, in my forty year of cigar smoking. Many others of the same tin delivered a substantial kick. But nothing like cigar no. X of that tin. I smoked a few tins hoping for the same buzz. But nothing came close.
The second surprise came in my last batch of Entretiempos, in February this year, brought to me from the Doha Duty Free shop by my friend Ilya. This little tin of 16 was an exercise in diversity: there were 8 little blond cigars and 8 little maduro cigars. I had never encountered such a mixture before and I had never smoked a Cuban maduro before. I was pleasantly delighted. The Cuban twang mixed with the maduro mustiness creates a very pleasant cocktail.
But the Entretiempos is too small. It's a short robusto. If you're going to smoke a few cigars per day, and you don't mind forty minutes per session, the Entretiempos might be for you. But I always left them with burnt fingertips and feeling somehow cheated.
Enter the Centrofinos; a true robusto of 5.1 x 52 lasting a good hour, even more.
I tried a few from the batch upon arrival and they wavered from tasty, to grassy, vegetal, not quite ripe and not at all satisfying. I left them for a months and last night picked one that looked a little oily. Ah, mild to medium body, but good strength.
I recall a video on Youtube of a Dutch guy reviewing the Centrofinos. His conclusion was that if you had the patience to put the cigars away for two years you would be rewarded. I confess I don't have such patience. But five months incubation has certainly added some zest to my most recent sample. It was a delicious, easy drawing, cigar, with good Cuban flavour, not a poor man's cigar at all. It lasted a comfortable hour and a quarter. I'm looking forward to the next dip into the bundle.
2. February 1st, 2021
Mild to medium Cuban flavour with a good finish and a hearty aroma. Flavour was consistent. There was nothing vegetal or unpleasant. The aroma was probably the best part as was the luscious finish. Despite being too moist, the burn was fine and the cigar didn't require a touch up. Total time was 58 minutes.
3. March 25th, 2021
After seven months in the humidor, flavour was mild to medium but rich with strong, complex aroma. Strength was a solid medium. Probably also a little too moist, but burn was quite acceptable; no retouch required. Smoking time was a remarkable 95 minutes, with flavour fading a little towards the end. But overall, quite satisfying.
4. June 24th, 2021: Much the same profile as above, perhaps a bit milder. Not too moist, as previous members of the bundle. Draw was easy but with a minor touch-up required. Flavour was pleasantly mild. Finish was light. At 65 minutes this was the fastest burner of the batch. Perhaps a little more humidity would improve the profile, however, I've had very strong Vegueros in the smaller vitola which were very dry. So it must be the ligero content, or lack thereof.
5. August 13th, 2021: I felt like a snack and so delved into the humidor for one of these little robustos. This cigar felt a little moist and not particularly heavy in the hand. It started mild, with even burn and easy draw. Not too moist despite its soft construction. After thirty minutes barely an inch had burned. Flavour started to intensify to medium, body and strength also medium. Finish left a dry, powdery, after taste. But it was nonetheless a good, clean aftertaste. Aroma was rich and consistent throughout. By the half-way point the cigar upped the strength. I could feel it in the head; not overwhelming but substantial. Pepper was absent in the first half but began to dominate in the final third. Burn started to go wonky close to the nub but I couldn't be bothered touching it up. At 85 minutes, this already more than a snack. Very satisfying. Almost one year, to the day, in the humidor.
6. November 4th, 2021: The best that can be said about this cigar was its most delicious aroma and almost perfect burn. The aroma was, at times, exceptional; as good as any Cuban I've tasted: deep, rich, smooth and refined. Other than that, the mild flavour and mild body and finish were mediocre at best. Flavour was a mild cocoa powder, with a powdery aftertaste. A little pepper and a more interesting flavour appeared in the final third. 65 minutes. Similar to the sample from June 24th, above. Pleasant, but not enough flavour or body to satisfy.
7. January 8th, 2022: Exquisite! Heavy in the hand. Enough body to satisfy. Creamy, rich, cinnamon, cocoa flavour. Intense aroma throughout. A little pepper at the end. A little strength brewing by the second half. Perfect burn and easy draw. At a little under 80 minutes, this was one of the best samples and a rival to any Cuban robusto in terms of balance and flavour. Smoked to the nub. Very satisfying.
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| At around the 45 minute mark. This was a delicious cigar. |
8. April 7th, 2022: A very pleasant toasty aroma, irregular burn but self-correcting and very well constructed otherwise. Not a rave review, like that of Jan. 8th, but nonetheless, a very smooth, mellow and satisfying cigar. 85 minutes.
9. June 9th, 2022: Much the same as January 8th review, above: creamy, rich, cinnamon, cocoa, excellent aroma, easy draw. The wrapper was a little cracked in various places but this didn't cause a problem. Very satisfying. The cigar began as a fast burner but slowed down. Total burn around 85 minutes, which is quite remarkable for a robusto.
10. July 28th, 2022: I wanted to try one of these to compare it to the H.Upmann Connoisseur no.2, which I recently reviewed and claimed that it was very similar to the Centrofino, but more expensive. I would say that the two are indistinguishable. The Centrofino is the winner, being about 30% less expensive. Just over 70 minutes. Quite satisfying.
11. November 1st, 2022: A pleasant, mild to medium bodied morsel. Flavour was pleasant but not complex or rich. Aroma pleasant. Draw was easy. Quite satisfying. 70 minutes.
12. March 23rd, 2023: Heavy in the hand, but easy draw. The first third was deliciously rich and complex. The final third dissipated somewhat to a pleasant puff, but overall, this was quite a satisfying cigar and lasted around 80 or 90 minutes over a leisurely game of chess with my son.
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