The Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino is a small batch cigar by Tabaqueria 1844 based out of the Dominican Republic. The rise of boutique and small production cigar brands has often been associated with Nicaragua, but the Dominican Republic certainly has also its share – and Tabaqueria 1844 is a good example of one. Tabaqueria 1844 was founded by Edgar Sued Caraballo and its products are available in the U.S. market. Campesino is the company’s primary line offered in two vitolas. Today we take a look at the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino in the Robusto Definitivo (5 x 52) size. Overall I found this cigar to be an excellent offering and a nice revelation out of the Dominican Republic.

Tabaqueria 1844 also has an associated cigar lounge called Casa de Tabaqueria 1844 located in the coastal town of Cabarete, located on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. In fact the name “Tabaqueria” means tobacco shop. As for the 1844, it is the year that the Dominican Republic declared its independence from Haiti. Finally the name of the cigar line Campesino pays homage to the Dominican Republic’s agriculture industry as it means “Farmer”.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitive and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino is a Dominican puro. It is made in the Dominican Republic.The cigar is highlighted by Dominican Havana Vuelta Abajo (HVA) from the Navarrese region in the Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: Dominican HVA Navarrette
Binder: Dominican Criollo 98
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Vitolas Available

The Campesino is available in two sizes. Each is packaged in 21 count boxes.

Robusto Definitivo: 5 x 2
Buey Maraso: 6 x 44

Appearance

The HVA wrapper of the Campesino Robusto Definitivo has a strong colorado red color. Upon closer examination, some darker marbling can be seen on the surface. This is a wrapper with an oily surface. The wrapper has some visible veins and thin visible wrapper seams.

The band of the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino is white in color with gold-colored trim and gold-colored font. The front of the band has a circular field, the text “CAMPESINO” is on the center of it. Just below it in smaller font is the text “SERIES”. There is a leaf design above the text. In addition, here is a dull-colored spiro pattern toward the edge of the circular field. On the left side of the band is the text “PEQUEÑAS PRODUCCIONES” in dark font. to the right is the text “PURO DOMINICANO” also in dark font. The far right of the band contains a small Tabaqueria 1844 circular logo.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I normally do, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut to begin the start of my cigar experience of the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo. Once the cap was removed, I proceeded with the pre-light draw experience. There was a decent amount of sweetness on the pre-light draw as I picked up notes of baker’s spice, sweet cedar, and natural tobacco. While normally I don’t like a lot of sweetness on the pre-light draw, it somehow worked with this cigar and I classified this as an excellent pre-light experience. At this point, I was ready to light up the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The start of the Campesino Robusto Definitivo continued where the pre-light draw left off with notes of baker’s spice, sweet cedar, and natural tobacco sweetness. In addition I picked up some notes of black pepper. The natural tobacco notes moved into the forefront early on. This natural tobacco sweetness also had an orange-like component to it. There was also a slight syrupy quality to this natural tobacco. Meanwhile the cedar and baker’s spice became a secondary note while the black pepper was further back. As for the retro-hale, it produced an additional layer of black pepper and orange.

During the second third, I found the baker’s spice joined the natural tobacco / orange combination in the forefront. By this stage, the slight syrupy quality to the natural tobacco seemed to become less and less. The cedar and black pepper remained in the background, but the baker’s spice diminished along the way. Just past the midway point, a dusty earth note surfaced in the background and began to increase in intensity.

The last third of the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo saw the dusty earth and natural tobacco / orange combination remain in the forefront. There still were notes of black pepper and to a lesser extent cedar in the background. This is the way the flavor profile came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn of the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo scored well. While there was a slight curviness from time to time on the burn line, this cigar still maintained a straight path. The resulting ash had a light gray color with some dark speckling in there. This was an ash that was on the firmer side and came off the cigar in clean chunks. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw to the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo was not too tight, nor was it too loose. In the end this was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

When it came to strength and body, the Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo was pretty much in the medium range for both attributes. I didn’t find much variance in the intensity of these attributes as both stayed medium until the end. Both attributes balanced each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

Final Thoughts

As I mentioned in the introduction, when it comes to the small batch and boutiques much of the attention has been on the Nicaraguan ones. Tabaqueria 1844’s Campesino Robusto Definitivo is a great example of such a project coming out of the Dominican Republic. While this is a cigar that delivers a lot of sweetness, it is still kept in check. In addition the medium strength / medium bod level of this cigar meshed well with the flavor. Finally, coming in at just over $7.00, I found this to be a nice value. The Tabaqueria 1844 Campesino Robusto Definitivo is a cigar I would recommend to a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I’d smoke again – and one that is certainly worthy of a box split.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Orange, Black Pepper, Cedar, Baker’s Spice
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium+
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Assessment: 3.5-Box Split
Score: 90

References

News: n/a
Price: $7.10
Source: Cigars Provided by Manufactuer prior to August 8th
Brand Reference: Tabaqueria 1844