A few weeks back I was asking about the Fumadores by Holts. Jamie (Ashauler) was kind enough to send me a couple to try. Today seemed like a good day to spark up one of the Robustos during the Miami/Pittsburgh game.

A little background - I've been smoking very few NC's lately, but I still like to keep some fairly nice but inexpensive sticks around for my non smoking friends who want a cigar, or for those times when the cigar is not going to be the main event. My current stash for this purpose consists of some Casa Royals, Old Henrys, FDO's, and some Tat Havana VI Nobles. They all ran about $2-3/stick and are all pretty nice smokes to give away to folks who wouldn't know the difference, but still not junk.

The cut had me a bit worried. That cap crumbled a little when I cut it. The pre-light draw was a bit firm, which is right where I like them. The cigar lit very easily and required no touch-ups for the duration.

From the beginning I could tell that this was a Pepin blend, though not quite as "peppery" as most of his stuff. The cigar started out medium strength and stayed pretty consistent throughout. Flavor was earthy with a bit of pleasant sweetness hiding in the background, and smoke volume was very nice and creamy. Even though the cigar was sitting at 65% for 6 weeks or so the wrapper seemed a bit dryer (drier?) than the filler and seemed to burn a bit quicker, producing a very pronounced cone that burned dead center throughout. The first 2/3 were very consistent, while the final third surprisingly seemed to become a bit milder, but still with the same flavor profile.

All in all, this is was an extremely easy cigar to smoke and a perfect cigar for my intended purpose. After having the Fumadores I have to say it is a solid performer and I'll probably be picking up a few more when they go on sale.

Thanks Jamie.