Over the last three weeks we tried an experiment here at The Cigar Authority. We decided to pick a brand, and review each of the available sizes over a period of weeks. When we decided to do this we picked one of the new brands to hit the shelves and in this case it was The Wayfarer from Serino Cigars. It’s blended by Tony Serino’s son, Carson alongside Luis Omar Gonzalez who is the son of Omar Gonzalez-Aleman; the owner of La Corona Factory in Esteli. Nicaragua.
Today we complete the vertical tasting with the Robust
Cigar: The Wayfarer by Serino Cigar
Wrapper: Ecuador Corojo ’99
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua (Esteli, Jalapa)
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Size: Robusto
The Look: The Wayfarer comes packaged in 20 count cedar boxes with the cigars laid out in 2 rows of 10. The cigar has a fantail cap that is pressed down by the use of cello. I personally wish the boxes had a cut out for the fantail and did not use cello. The Corojo ’99 wrapper has a slight brindle effect and there is hardly a vein or seam visible on the cigar. There is some tooth to the cigar, and the foot is well packed.
The Notes: Once the cap is cut the robust offers up some sweetness of mocha with a bit of earth and a touch of oak. The aroma off the wrapper and foot is slight sweet highlighting some of the mocha of the cold draw with a bit of wheat. Once the cigar is toasted and lit the first note serves up a quick touch of mocha before an onslaught of pepper.
As we move into the first third of the Wayfarer Robusto one thing is very easy to spot and thats the added strength of the Robusto, but there seems to be more complexity as well. The pepper notes of the cigar are dominant as we work through the first third but there is also some pistachio notes along with hits of mocha, cedar and wheat. The retrohale offers up black pepper which made me sneeze but there was also a lingering vanilla component as well.
The second third sees the mocha notes transition more of a subtle chocolate with the development of some cedar notes. The vanilla that was noticeable on the retrohale in the first third makes its way to the finish of the cigar which begins to develop a caramel like aroma around the halfway point. It is here the cigar sees the cedar notes become dominant as well. The black pepper remains on the retrohale with licorice finish.
The last third of The Wayfarer, sees the sweet notes return as an afterthought, with continues rye, earth and oak. The retrohale of the cigar sees the oak enhanced with a small amount of pepper present as well.
The Finish: The more and more I smoke the Wayfarer one size stands out. The robusto has one of the strongest retrohales I have ever come across in a cigar and it definitely adds to an already lengthy finish. In addition to carrying some strong notes of pepper I was really surprised by how much complexity it added, specifically in the robusto size. I’ve smoked half a box of each size, and I am confident in saying this is by far the best of the 3 if you like added strength, and I know that is right in my wheel house.
For those keeping score at home:
- The Wayfarer Corona Gorda scored a 92.
- The Wayfarer Toro scored a 92.
- The Wayfarer Robusto:
Score: 94
Price: $8.69 / $152.99
The Wayfarer Robusto
The Wayfarer Robusto Foot
The Wayfarer Robusto Burn
