Vegueros is a Cuban brand that started in 1961 at the Francisco Donatien Factory in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba. In 1997 the cigar would be exported before falling from the marketplace. In 2013, Vegueros would relaunch at the Habanos Festival; however, it would take almost another year before the brand would be readily available.
The cigar which got new artwork from the originals was redesigned by Nelson Alfonso the artist behind the re-branding of Cohiba and Behike. Nelson is also the man behind Atabey, Byron and Bandolero which are available in the United States via United Cigar.
Today we smoke the cigar that was gifted to me in anticipation of me proposing to my girlfriend this weekend (she said yes).
Cigar Review: Vegueros
Size: 4 3/8 x 52 (Entretiempos)
Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba
Strength: Medium
Source: David Garofalo
The Look: The Vegueros features a green, gold, off-white, black and silver cigar band that was designed by Nelson Alfonso. There are some veins present and despite the cigar being well rolled there is some color changes in the reddish-brown wrapper that make the seams visible. The cigar features a gorgeous triple cap and is firm to the touch with a well packed foot. In the hand the cigar has an average weight for its size.
The Notes: The cold draw serves up notes that reminds me of being on a cigar factory floor with elements of raw tobacco and something that can’t be transitioned into words if you haven’t been to a factory. The aroma of the cigar is earthy with a subtle nutty note.
Once the cigar is lit there are notes of earth with a touch of spice that is joined by a subtle sweetness that is barely detectable. The earth components are grassy, and remind me of the aroma of the morning dew in the country.
In the second third of the cigar a pepper note begins to develop that becomes dominant as we cross the midway point of the cigar. The grassy notes remain and on the retrohale the sweetness becomes stronger and more easily detected. As we move past the halfway point of the cigar the grass moves to the background as chocolate takes hold of the palate.
The last third of the Vegueros sees the introduction of a slightly floral note over the base note of grass and earth. The chocolate sweetness that became dominant in the last third fades away with some pepper notes on the retrohale.
The Burn: In a word, horrible. From the first light the cigar started off near perfect but around a half-inch, one side of the cigar constantly needed to be worked on with the lighter for the first half of the smoke before burning somewhat evenly. . The darker ash held on even through the relights and didn’t fall until I rolled the cigar in the ashtray just prior to removing the ban. The draw of the cigar offered up a nice resistance making that aspect of the cigar perfect.
The Finish: Had you taken the band off the cigar, the burn would have given away the fact that that this was a Cuban cigar. At the price, the cigar was enjoyable but that burn of the Vegueros significantly ruined things for me. This is the difference between Cuba vs the rest of the world as it seems the poor construction is tolerated at a factory level and as an American consumer I have been spoiled by the production values of the other cigar producing countries. At the price I might keep a few on hand, but there are so many better cigars out there.
Score: 83
Price: £3.64 ($5.54 USD)
Bullet Points
- Vegueros translates to farmer and is referred to as the farmer’s cigar.
- According to the artist, the V is designed to represent a woman’s legs spread open as well as a tobacco leaf.
- The cigar is made in Pinar Del Rio at the Francisco Donatien factory which also makes Trinidad.
- The burn of the cigar really frustrated me for the first half.
- I paired the cigar with Cuban coffee
- Smoking time was 1 hour 10 minutes.
Vegueros
Vegueros Foot
Vegueros Burn
