Cigar Review: Berger & Argenti Entubar V32 Rogue Rothschild
27 Mar 2012
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s been a bit of an explosive theme in cigar names in recent years: Tatuaje Thermonuclear, 601 La Bomba, Don Pepin Garcia Firecracker, Viaje WMD, Viaje MOAB (Mother of all bombs)… you get the idea. Berger & Argenti’s Entubar V32 isn’t exactly of the same vein, but there’s something a little fuse-like about the entubar foot.
And the caution tape “advisory” tells you exactly how to light the fuse: “Thoroughly toast entire cigar foot before smoking.” Normally that’s obvious, but with the protruding entubaro scroll, the same as the original Berger & Argenti Entubar and Quad Maduro, it is actually good advice. I’d recommend a torch, as matches are quite a bit of work.
This Entubar cigar takes the V32 name because the center tube is thicker than the other lines (32 ring gauge to be specific). Essentially, it’s a small cigar of ligero in the middle of a larger cigar. The Nicaraguan puro features a Jalapa Valley wrapper around binder and filler tobaccos from the Estelí, Condega, Jalapa, and Jinotega regions.
The result is a full-bodied, balanced cigar with tons of chocolate and earth. The flavor is like a really good cup of hot chocolate (not that instant junk). With saltiness and wood notes that emerge towards the second half of the cigar, it is a very savory smoke.
Like all of Berger & Argenti’s collaborations that I’ve tried, construction is excellent. The cigar produces tons of smoke, draws easy, and burns evenly—a testament to the time-consuming entubaro bunching method. I smoked two of the “Rogue Rothschild” size (5.6 x 54), one of the four sizes available. Only 1,000 boxes of 20 of each size are being made (80,000 total). Between the limited run and time-consuming construction, the V32 is a pricey cigar, with prices ranging from $11 to $14 each.
Despite the high price, I found this to be a very impressive cigar. Savory, flavorful, and balanced, the V32 will appeal to almost all cigar smokers and is a must-try for maduro fans. Its flavors aren’t quite explosive, but they are well-rounded, deep, and complex. Personally, I liked it even more than the box-pressed Quad Maduro, which is no slouch of a cigar. That’s enough to earn the Berger & Argenti Entubar V32 Rogue Rothschild our highest rating of five stogies out of five.
[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five stogie-rated cigars can be found here.]
photo credit: Stogie Guys
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Wow. Haven't seen a 5/5 rating in these parts for awhile. Must be something special. Are these hard to find? Do you have a list of retailers? Can you buy them online?
If you go to the B&A site http://www.bergerargenti.com/ you'll find a Where to Buy section that lists stores that carry their cigars.
I have about 4 of these resting in my humidor. They look nice but have't had a chance to fire one up yet. I'm going to have to make this a priority.
it's interesting that you just put this review on, I was gifted a couple of these sticks about a month ago and let them settle in my humi (although I'm sure they were aging for a GOOD while before I got them). I saved them for a decent occasion and sparked them up with a buddy of mine about a week ago, neither of them had ANY flavor. It was like smoking a Maverick red cigarette, but the burn was razor sharp. Maybe I'll pick some up next time on your recommendation.
I agree with most of your commentary although I think the Quad Maduro is a tastier stick for maduro fans. That being said the Rogue Rothschild is an excellent stick with lots of flavor and power while remaining balanced…to me it was a refined ruination in flavor….