Cigar Review: Pinar del Rio Small Batch Reserve Maduro Robusto

Certain cigars just look like they’re going to taste good, and the Pinar del Rio Small Batch Reserve Maduro fits that bill. It features a deep brown, oily wrapper, firm construction, and a triple-cap, all framed by a simple but classic-looking white band. Even before I tasted my first, at least visually, it reminded me of one of my favorites, the Liga Privada No. 9.

Pinar del Rio has been making cigars out of its Don Leoncio factory in Tamboril in the Dominican Republic, but the new Small Batch line is the first (along with the upcoming Flores y Rodriguez) to come out of their new PDR Cigars factory, which is also in the Dominican.

Like the Small Batch Reserve Habano, the Maduro utilizes the entubar bunching technique to combine corojo-seed viso, seco, and ligero tobaccos from Estelí and the Dominican Republic as the filler with a Dominican criollo ’98 binder. Three sizes are available: Gran Toro (6 x 54), Robusto (5 x 52), and Torpedo (6.5 x 52) in both the Habano and the Maduro. The latter has a dark Brazilian ligero leaf with an appetizing sheen.

Once lit, the Small Batch Rserve Maduro shows a nice combination of cocoa, molasses, and a slight woodiness. It’s medium-bodied to start but the flavors build to become fuller by the final third.

The flavors are balanced and savory. It’s a great combination of the best of Nicaragua and the Dominican, with earth, woodiness, dried fruit, and a touch of spice. The solid white ash looks like a thick piece of chalk. Flawless construction and a perfectly straight burn are maintained throughout the hour-plus smoke.

I smoked two PDR Small Batch Maduros (which I received as pre-release samples) and I can only conclude that I will be purchasing more soon, especially at a reasonable price of around $7 each. It’s not hard to see that both of the new Small Batch cigars by Pinar del Rio will be hits, but I think the Pinar del Rio Small Batch Reserve Maduro is even better than the Habano, which is why the Maduro earns a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys