In January of 2020, The Cigar Authority podcast send out a sample of a cigar to their care package members that was in consideration to become the new Abuelo cigar in the United Cigar Group portfolio. That cigar was met with overwhelming positive comments and the cigar went into production. Now shortly after our own David Garofalo became a grandfather, the cigar has reached the market.
Abuelo means grandfather in Spanish and the Abuelo cigar pays respect to your elders, your father’s father or mother’s father, the man who paved the way for all of us. Handmade is Honduras at Fabrica de Puros Aladino S.A in Las Lomas, Jamastran Honduras, under the watchful eye of tobacco legend Julio R. Eiroa. The Abuelo uses authentic Honduran grown Cuban-seed Corojo filler and binders and draped with pristine dark Habano wrapper. The Cigar is billed as rich, full of character, and exactly what would expect from your Abuelo.
Cigar Review: Abuelo
Wrapper: Habano
Binder: Nicaragua (Corojo)
Filler: Nicaragua (Corojo)
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Size: Padre (Toro)
The Look: The new look Abuelo comes in boxes of 20 cigars and the band artwork features colors of beige, brown, silver and copper that denotes the brand name and an old man in an old city. The dark Habano wrapper is flawless and glistening with oils while under the fingers the cigar has some tooth to it. In the hand, the cigar is firm with no soft spots and a well packed foot reveals swirls of darker tobacco.
The Notes: The cold draw reveals notes of saltines, caraway seeds and cedar while the aroma off the foot serves up a subtle caramel sweetness. Once the cigar is toasted and lit a notes of brown sugar envelope the palate. As we smoke the first third notes of cedar and vanilla become the dominant flavor profile with a touch of black pepper but not enough to takeaway from the enjoyable sweetness the cigar serves up. The retrohale sees hints of cream and stone fruits while the cigar has a moderately long finish.
Moving into the second third, a touch of rye begins to develop making me believe this will pair well with a rye such as Whistle Pig. The cigar continues to serve up cedar notes, though it is more of an afterthought as the second half begins to close where a touch of soda crackers enter the mix. The retrohale holds on to a hint of stone fruits although some black pepper enters the mix as well. The finish has some earth to it, and it continues to be moderate in length.
As we smoke the last third, earthiness develops as the primary note with some cedar and nuts in the background with some remaining rye. The retrohale adds to the earth with a nice amount of pepper that isn’t overpowering round things out. The finish is long with some bread notes that linger well after the cigar is finished.
The Finish: The cigar has a familiar feel to it being a fan of Aladino cigars, which is to be expected considering the cigar is made at Fabrica de Puros Aladino S.A exclusively for United Cigars which is represented on the backside of the band. The cigar is medium-full bodied with a nice traditional flavor profile. The burn line is relatively thin showcasing the age tobacco used on the wrapper. It’s an enjoyable cigar that provides the time to reflect on your Abuelo and the path he laid out for our future.
Score: 93
Price: $11.49 / $195.49
Abuelo Padre
Abuelo Padre Foot
Abuelo Padre Burn
