The Brothers of the Sabre line was born out of Jeremy Casdagli’s fascination with Napoleon’s attempt to conquer Europe. This line pays homage to the generals on all sides and the blends are intended to be representative of the character of whom they honor. The Epicurist line honors the French General Antoine Charles Louis De Lasalle. I will be smoking the Petite Robusto this morning for review. I am looking forward to this one, as I have enjoyed all the Brothers of the Sabres so far and this one is in my preferred vitola.
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Kelner Boutique Cigar Factory (KBF)
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Zimbabwe, & USA
Vitola: 4 ½ x 52 Petite Robusto
Price: $13.70 MSRP
Link to Purchase: The Cigar Farm (Use code “Review” to save 10%!)
This is a stocky little cigar - firm and dense. The band looks good against the medium brown, clean wrapper. The cigar smells of general tobacco. The cold draw is hardly present - maybe a little cream. First light reveals medium bodied smoke with medium flavors including an interesting spice note that I can’t quite pin down, earthiness, and some general sweetness. The retrohale is spicy and creamy. About a half inch in, the flavors are a bit more full now. The draw still holds some of that spice and earth, but has added some wood and leather. The first third comes to an end with the profile up to full in flavor. The draw is now oily and baking spice forward. The retrohale is far less spicy. It is showing some musty earth and nuttiness. The performance has been perfect so far. These flavors hold until near halfway when some creamy nuttiness joins the draw. Entering the final third there are moments of citrus that come and go on the draw. The retrohale has maintained the musty earth and nuttiness, with some creaminess in there as well. Coming to a close at around the one hour mark the profile has remained the same as the last update and the performance has been flawless throughout.
Overall Experience
Overall this was another solid cigar from Casdagli and a nice addition to the Brothers of the Sabre lineup. This particular vitola is a nice addition to the portfolio as well because it delivers all things Casdagli at a very appealing price point. This Petite Robusto performed flawlessly, and while the flavor profile wasn’t super expansive or incredibly unique, it offered a surprising number of transitions throughout - not major shifts, but enough of a change to keep things interesting. The backbone of the profile was baking spices and earth that were accented at times by pepper, other times by creamy nuttiness, and at times citrus. If you enjoy the Brothers of the Sabre Brave and Forrader, then I think you will enjoy this Epicurist as well. If you haven’t had any of the other Brothers of the Sabre blends, then I think this Epicurist Petite Robusto is a great place to start - based on the smoking experience and the price point.
Have you smoked this one? Let me know your thoughts!