Tres Reynas – Robusto

The Tres Reynas Cigar is a joint project between two of the iconic families in the cigar business – the Quesadas and the Garcias.  In particular it was the daughters of the family, Patricia and Raquel Quesada (S.A.G. Imports) and Janny Garcia of My Father Cigars that spearheaded the project.  At the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show, S.A.G Imports showcased the new Tres Reynas cigar. I recently had an opportunity to sample this cigar. It looks like the collaboration of these two legendary cigar-making families is a winner – as this proved to be a highlight of the trade show.

As a part of the collaboration, the cigar is being produced at the My Father Cigars factory, and S.A.G Imports is handling the distribution of the cigar.  From a conversation with the Quesada sisters and Janny Garcia, the trio met a few years ago and immediately connected.   The project had been in the works for some time and had the blessing of Don Pepin Garcia and Manuel Quesada.   Jaime Garcia played a role in helping with the development of the blend.  The name “Tres Reynas” translates to “Three Queens”.

Tres Reynas: The Quesada Sisters and Janny Garcia

The plan is for the cigar to be a limited production run.  Cigar Aficionado mentioned 1000 boxes of each
vitola being produced.

Let’s take a closer look at the Tres Reynas cigar.  Since the sample of this cigar was an IPCPR sample, we will default to a “pre-review” and hold off on the final assessment rating and score when the cigar is released.

Blend Profile

The Tres Reynas is highlighted by its rich Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

There will be three frontmarks produced for the Tres Reynas.

Robusto: 5 x 50
Torpedo: 6 x 54
Gordo: 6 x 60

Packaging of the Tres Reynas Cigar

Appearance

For this cigar experience, I sampled the Tres Reynas Robusto. The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper of the Tres Reynas is a rich, chocolate colored wrapper.  I wouldn’t describe it as an oily wrapper, but more on the silky side.  It has a sandy/rougher and slightly bumpy feel when touched.  There are a few visible veins and the dark color of the wrapper hides the wrapper seams well.

The band has gold and white color scheme.  Highlighted on the wrapper is the name “3 Reynas” in gold cursive font.  There are also three female silhouettes that represent the three woman behind this cigar.  On the left side of the band it says has the text “Esteli” and “Nicaragua” in gold font.  On the right side it has the text “Hecho a Mano” in gold font.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my Tres Reynas Robusto, I opted for a straight cut into the cap of the cigar.  When I commenced with the pre-light draw, I was treated to coffee flavors with a hint of cedar in the background.  Overall, I was impressed with the dry draw flavors.  It was now time to fire up the Tres Reynas and prepare for what the smoking experience of this blend would deliver.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Tres Reynas yielded more of a mocha flavor to start.  It took a couple of minutes, but a trademark Garcia pepper blast did surface and took over for a short amount of time.  Once the pepper flavors subsided, the mocha flavors took on some more leathery notes.  There was also an underlying cream that was present.

As the cigar experience progressed, the mocha/leather flavors still were in the forefront with the cream and pepper in the background.  The pepper notes slowly increased in intensity as the smoke continued, but the mocha/leather flavors were still very much present.  The pepper picked up in the second half.  The cigar definitely had a spicy finish, yet it was not harsh.  The resulting nub was soft to the touch, but was cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

Given the reputation of the two families that were involved in this project, it was no surprise that when it came to the construction attributes of burn and draw that the Tres Reynas would shine.  The burn was very good on this cigar.  The burn line remained straight for the cigar experience – only requiring a few touch-ups.  The ash was a little on the flaky side.  The burn rate and burn temperature were idea.  The draw was outsanding as it was flawless from start to finish.

Strength and Body

The Tres Reynas had a nice balance of both strength and body.  Both attributes balanced each other very nicely as each provided a nice contribution to the smoking profile.  From a nicotine perspective, the strength of the Tres Reynas had enough to qualify this as a medium to full-strength smoke.  The flavors had some nice depth to it – also qualifying this as a medium to full-bodied smoke in my book.

Final Thoughts

The Tres Reynas was a very satisfying smoke.  I didn’t find this to be a terribly complex smoke, but given this was a sample from the IPCPR Trade Show it is possible that some age could help develop the flavor profile some more.  At the same time, the sample still had a very good flavor profile and one that I found enjoyable.  While I would recommend this cigar to the experienced cigar enthusiast, I would also recommend this to a novice enthusiast looking for a medium to full strength/bodied cigar.  My gut also tells me the Robusto is going to be the best of the three vitolas.   This is a cigar I look forward to smoking again when it hits the retailer shelves and see how it stacks up then.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Good

Source: The cigar for this assessment was provided by S.A.G. Imports at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show.   The request was initated by S.A.G. Imports  to myself (Cigar Coop).  Cigar Coop is appreciative to samples provided but this
plays no role in a final assessment rating and write-up.