Felipe Gregorio Classic Robusto (Single Cigar)
- Length: 127mm
- Ring Gauge: 50
- Flavour: Medium-Full
- Wrapper: Habano 92
- Binder: Sun Grown Habano 44
- Filler: Habano 92
- Origin: Dominican Republic
Felipe Gregorio Classic Robusto – Single Cigar
The Robusto has become one of the most popular cigar shapes in the world, and for good reason. It's a wonderfully straightforward format: a substantial ring gauge, a manageable length and plenty of room for a cigar maker to demonstrate what his tobacco can do. The Felipe Gregorio Classic Robusto takes that familiar shape and gives it a distinctly traditional character.
First impressions are rather pleasing. The wrapper is a warm golden-brown, with delicate veins running across the leaf and a neatly finished rounded cap. Around the upper portion sits Felipe Gregorio's navy blue and gold band, complete with its crown and heraldic crest. It's a handsome cigar, and one that looks entirely at home among the more established names in the humidor.
Behind the brand is Philip Wynne, an American cigar entrepreneur with decades of experience in the tobacco trade. Wynne has spent much of his career investigating different tobacco-growing regions and developing cigars that reflect the qualities of their constituent leaves.
The Classic Robusto has an interesting tobacco composition. Its Habano 92 wrapper surrounds a Sun Grown Habano 44 binder, with Habano 92 tobacco also forming the filler. Rather than bringing together a long list of different varieties, this blend concentrates on the character of Habano tobacco.
Habano leaf has a long association with cigars of considerable flavour and body. The sun-grown binder adds another element to the construction, while the wrapper provides the attractive golden-brown appearance seen here.
The result is classified as medium-to-full strength, putting it firmly in the territory of cigars with a substantial tobacco presence. It's a blend that deserves a little attention, particularly from those who enjoy exploring the differences between tobacco varieties.
There's something appealing about the Robusto format itself. The straight-sided body and rounded head make it easy to prepare with a conventional cigar cutter, and its proportions have made it a familiar favourite among cigar enthusiasts for generations.
I rather like the way Felipe Gregorio has presented this one. The decorative band is traditional, the wrapper looks inviting, and the cigar has the sort of reassuringly familiar appearance that makes you want to find out what the blender has been up to.
Supplied as a single loose cigar, the Classic Robusto is an excellent opportunity to explore the Felipe Gregorio range before deciding whether a full box deserves space in the humidor.
