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| Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada |
At the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas, boutique cigar-maker Elogio Cigars launched two limited edition cigars. One of those limited cigars was the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada. This blend is based off a prior limited edition release, the Elogio Limitada Salomon. The profile of the Robusto Especial Limitada was described as having a stronger profile than the Salomon Limitada. I recently have had an opportunity to smoke this release by Elogio. In my opinion, the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada is an outstanding release – and ranks among Elogio’s best work to date.
Elogio is a boutique cigar company run by Nabil and Rosaline Sabbah out of Wichita, Kansas. Elogio is made in Nicaragua and blended by Carlos Pereda Robaina. If you recognize the Robaina name – it is the one you are probably familiar with.. Carlos is the grandson of renowned grower and blender Alejandro Robaina. Elogio is a true vertically integrated boutique company as they are involved in the entire cigar lifecycle – from seed to store. Given their size, their cigars are limited in availability (they produce only 50,000 total per year) and only made available to select retailers. This is done to meet demand while delivering a high quality product.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada and see what this cigar brings to the table.
Blend Profile
As mentioned the blend of the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada:
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Habano Viso Jalapa
Filler: Viso Jalapa, Seco Jalapa, and Ligero Esteli
Vitolas Available
The Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada comes in one size – a 5 1/8 x 54 vitola. The cigars are packaged in boxes of 10. There were a total of 300 boxes produced.
Appearance
The Habano Ecuador wrapper of the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada has a milk chocolate color to it. The surface of the wrapper has an oily sheen on it. There are some visible veins and the wrapper seams are well hidden. The Robusto Limitada has a covered foot and a slight pig-tail on the cap.
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| Pig-tail cap of the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada |
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| Covered foot of the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada |
The band is the standard gold an black colored Elogio band found on most of their lines. It features the text “Elogio” in black cursive font. Below that text is the text “Hand Made Nicaragua” in a smaller black font. There is an oval border around the text. To the left and right is some black striping.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
Even though the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada had a pig-tail on the cap, I opted to use a straight cut to remove the cap as opposed to pulling the tail off. After the cap was clipped, it was on to the pre-light draw. The dry draw provided a mix of cocoa and natural tobacco. I also detected some of the classic Nicaraguan pepper twang. Overall I was impressed with the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada. At this point I was ready to light up the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada and see what the overall smoking experience would deliver.
Flavor Profile
The Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada started out with a decent blast of red pepper. In the very early stages, I detected a cocoa powder on the finish. As the cigar progressed through the first third, the cocoa notes joined the red pepper in the forefront. Meanwhile I detected a slight natural tobacco sweetness in the background. The pepper was also prominent on the retro-hale.
In the second third, the pepper notes dialed back and the cocoa notes remained in the forefront. Some nut flavors joined the cocoa in the forefront. The natural tobacco sweetness remained in the background.
The last third was interesting. I found the spice made a pretty big surge. This time the spice was seemed to be a potpourri of mixed spices and I found this to be very unique. The flavors of cocoa, natural tobacco, and nut could still be detected, but it was the spice that was in control. This is the way the cigar experience came to a close. The resulting nub was excellent – firm to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn and Draw
From a burn perspective, the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada scored very nice. The burn line remained relatively straight and did not require an abnormal amount of touch-ups. There was a little bit of jaggedness of the burn line, but the cigar never was in danger of canoeing or tunneling. The ash started out on the darker charcoal gray side, but as the cigar progressed it became more of a silvery gray. I found the ash to remain firm throughout the smoking experience. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.
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| Burn of the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada |
I found the draw to score very nicely too. The draw was not too tight and not too loose This made the Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada a joy to smoke.
Strength and Body
From a strength perspective, I definitely found this to be one of the stronger cigars released by Elogio. The strength started out in the medium to full range and by the second half, it had just enough strength to qualify for full in my book. As for the flavors, they were rich and robust – and weighed nicely on the pallet. I assessed this cigar to be full-bodied from start to finish. As for strength versus body, I think the body had a slight edge in the first half. By the second half, the gap had closed and both were pretty much on equal footing.
Final Thoughts
For a very small company, Elogio has done some very nice work. They have always put quality over quantity. While it may be frustrating sometimes to find their products, you can be sure that when you do find it – it is going to deliver a great experience. As I mentioned in the introduction, this represents some of the company’s best work to date. The Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada delivers great flavors and I like how this is a little amp’d up in terms of strength and body. Because it is amp’d up, I’d probably still steer this to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this one is a winner. I’d easily smoke it again – and it’s certainly worth snatching up a box of these.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
Body: Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: 4.0 – Box Worthy
Score: 92
References
News: Elogio Robusto Limitada
Price: $9.50
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Episode 96
Stogie Feed: Elogio Robusto Especial Limitada
