Vegas Robaina Famosos, unknown (VVRW#1)

[Mrcpt]

I purchased this cigar as a single last year, so I’m not sure how old it is or the box code.  I have to start off by admitting that this cigar was not that enjoyable; but I think it’s still worth putting my thoughts down since even negative results can be helpful.  There wrapper is a smooth Colorado, but with some splotching.  The dry aroma is a sweet hay and the draw is very loose for a Cuban.

At first I was quite impressed; I got cookie dough on the draw and a nice long finish. There was quite a bit of pepper, and I felt that pop rock tingle on my tongue and gums. Unfortunately, this profile didn’t last long and things took a bit of a turn for the worse.

About half of an inch in, I started getting a very bitter flavor accompanied by a finish that was a bit like ammonia or paint.  The bitterness lasted until about an inch in, and then came back sporadically for the remainder of the smoke. I wonder if an under fermented leaf being backfilled throughout the vitola is to blame for the sporadic bitterness.

Trying to put the bitterness aside and judge the rest of the cigar, I did notice a transition about halfway to vegetal and dry peanuts. Again, this was interspersed with the ammonia bitterness, but hey, whatchagunna do? The final third had another transition, but this time to a singular earthy tone, with a significant strength pickup.  The final smoke time was just under one hour.

My experience with this cigar was actually pretty informative. At first, when I started getting the bitterness and ammonia, I thought that simply meant the cigar was a bit young and in the middle of a “sick period”.  A bit of searching on the forum taught me that likely wasn’t the case, and that I was unfortunate enough to get a bad single. There’s a lot of great info to be found buried in the forums here, sometimes you just need a bad cigar experience to go searching for it. Also a tip for my fellow newbies: buy at least two of a single  so you’ll have a backup in case you get a bad cigar.

I’d rate this cigar mild to medium in flavor, and light in strength, but with a big strength pickup near the end.  I like to use a one to five scale to rate cigars: 1 - would not smoke again; 2 - would smoke again; 3 - would buy singles; 4 - would buy a box; 5 - go deep on boxes.  I would rate this cigar a 3: even through the bitterness I could detect some enjoyable flavors like cookie dough and peanut, so I think I’d really like this cigar normally, and it’s worth another shot. 

[rcarlson]

Definite dud.  I love the Famoso.  Nothing you described applies in any way to the Famosos I've had.  Don't let this one turn you off entirely.   You'll be missing out if you do.  

[Mrcpt]

2 minutes ago, rcarlson said:

Definite dud.  I love the Famoso.  Nothing you described applies in any way to the Famosos I've had.  Don't let this one turn you off entirely.   You'll be missing out if you do.  

Thanks, I figured as much. I’m definitely going to try this one again the next time I get a chance. 

[Glass Half Full]

Hello Mrcpt, 

I've had several Famosos.  As it happens, I had one just last evening.  (So can finally offer something back for all of the good advice I've gotten from FOH in the past.) 

Bought mine in 2018 (so they've had a chance to rest, I believe.)  In my experience, Famosos are "good" (not great).  (Not exactly a scientific assessment, here :)    (Using the scale you suggested, I'd give them a 2.)

My experiences with Famosos have varied greatly depending on RH at the time of smoking (more so than other cigars).  (They can also vary from one to another from the same box (some much looser than others).)  While not a favorite, they're in the humi nonetheless.  ...I guess on the principal that it's hard to truly appreciate a great cigar if you don't have some plain old good ones once in a while.  

By contrast, VR Unicos can be truly remarkable, often tremendously nutty and delicious (not descriptors I apply to many other cigars).   (And, in my experience, Unicos are great at 65% (straight out of my box), which makes life easy.)  Here again, mileage may vary.   Hope this is helpful.   

[rcarlson]

26 minutes ago, Glass Half Full said:

Hello Mrcpt, 

I've had several Famosos.  As it happens, I had one just last evening.  (So can finally offer something back for all of the good advice I've gotten from FOH in the past.) 

Bought mine in 2018 (so they've had a chance to rest, I believe.)  In my experience, Famosos are "good" (not great).  (Not exactly a scientific assessment, here :)    (Using the scale you suggested, I'd give them a 2.)

My experiences with Famosos have varied greatly depending on RH at the time of smoking (more so than other cigars).  (They can also vary from one to another from the same box (some much looser than others).)  While not a favorite, they're in the humi nonetheless.  ...I guess on the principal that it's hard to truly appreciate a great cigar if you don't have some plain old good ones once in a while.  

By contrast, VR Unicos can be truly remarkable, often tremendously nutty and delicious (not descriptors I apply to many other cigars).   (And, in my experience, Unicos are great at 65% (straight out of my box), which makes life easy.)  Here again, mileage may vary.   Hope this is helpful.   

Lol.  More proof that CCs are a game of Russian Roulette.  I've had a fair number of recent production Famoso and all but one or two have been excellently rolled.  The few Unicos I've had have been good but not great. . .  for me. 

I think VR has a unique profile.  I get a Tootsie Roll-like nougat, leather, latte kinda thing out of them.  They're hard to put my finger on flavor wise, but a really welcomed change of pace from the other marcas.  I've been smoking them in fits and spurts after recently discovering them.  They've really grown on me.  I plan to keep them in the rotation.  

I wonder if recent production (which is all I've had) might account for different perceptions.    

[Cairo]

2 hours ago, Glass Half Full said:

Bought mine in 2018 (so they've had a chance to rest, I believe.)  In my experience, Famosos are "good" (not great). 

I have smoked a couple from a 2018 box as well.    I believe they really need more time--there are hints of a strong fruity flavor on mine, but it seems like the flavors have not all blended together yet.    My suggestion--hide them for a year and try one.   If they are not "great", then hide for another year.    Imho these have the potential to be outstanding smokes.

[Glass Half Full]

Mrcpt -- To RCarlson's point, another FOH thread was just started on this same cigar by PhilipL.  He appears to be a big fan of the Famoso.  ...So, perhaps it's just the luck of the draw, and I drew mine for the less experienced Torcedor ...or as Cairo suggests, perhaps more patience is all that's needed to bring out their best flavors.  (Mine last night had a wonderful middle third, but the final third was flat, so perhaps there's hope in more aging.)  

In any event, you might appreciate what taking a look at PhilipL's post as he did a review with photos... and his timing was good