Agile Cigar Review: Debonaire Maduro Robusto

Agile Cigar Reviews replace what we termed “Assessment Updates”. The concept is the same, but the name is different. Agile Cigar Reviews use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or providing a score for a first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the Debonaire Maduro Robusto. This is a cigar line we have previously done assessments with different sizes – most recently in the “33rd” size back in October, 2015.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Robusto: 5 1/4 x 50

In 2014, Phil Zanghi’s Debonaire House released the company’s second blend, the Debonaire Maduro. For this cigar, co-founder Phil Zanghi replaced the Nicaraguan Habano wrapper found on the original Debonaire line and replaced it with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. In this author’s opinion, this resulted in the creation one of the great regular production maduro lines in recent years. In 2014, the Debonaire Maduro finished as the #4 Cigar Coop Cigar of the Year, and last year the “A” sized Debonaire 33rd Maduro finished as the #2 Cigar Coop Cigar of the Year. Today we take a closer look at Debonaire Maduro in the Robusto size.

The Debonaire Maduro Robusto measures 5 1/4 x 50. In addition to the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, the Debonaire Maduro Robusto utilizes a Dominican binder and a combination of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. As with all of his brands, Zanghi produces the Debonaire Maduro out of the De Los Reyes factory in the Dominican Republic.

The Debonaire Maduro Robusto started out with a lot of sweetness early on – delivering a combination of chocolate and natural maduro sweetness. There also was an underlying white pepper note throughout the smoking experience. By the second half of the smoking experience, the sweetness diminished into the background. At the same time, a combination of earth and the signature Debonaire au-jus meaty flavors also surfaced. There also was an increase in the white pepper spice toward the end.

The Debonaire Maduro blend delivers a cigar on the bolder side and the Robusto size keeps to this profile. I found this cigar to start out medium to full in both strength and body. Both attributes increase in intensity and by the second half the strength and body were in full territory.

As mentioned, the Debonaire Maduro line has become one of the best Connecticut Broadleaf lines over the past few years. The Robusto size keeps to the high level of excellence. Since this a bolder cigar, I’d steer this to a more experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is certainly a box worthy cigar.