The Serino Royale Medio Robusto Gordo is one of four blends in Serino Cigar Company’s Serino Royale line. Serino Cigar Company is run by industry veteran Tony Serino. After working two decades in the industry importing and selling premium bundle cigars, in 2016 Serino started his own super premium line. To produce this line, Serino has teamed up with Omar Gonzalez Aleman of La Corona Cigars S.A.. Gonzalez is the former head director of the La Corona Factory in Havana, maker of many well-known Cuban brands such as Romeo y Julieta, Hoyo de Monterrey, Cuaba, Por Larranaga, Saint Luis Rey, San Cristobal de Habana and some Montecristos. To U.S. cigar enthusiasts, Gonzalez may be best known for his involvement with brands HR, Soneros, and Cubanacan. Today, we take a closer look at the Serino Royale Medio in the Robusto Gordo size. The Serino Royale line has been quite impressive, but it seems to me the Medio has been the blend that has flown under the radar. In my estimation, the Medio might be the most impressive of the Serino Royale blends.

The Serino Royale’s four blends have the spectrum covered in terms of choice for cigar enthusiasts. The list goes from mildest to fullest, with the Serino Royale Maduro being positioned as a medium to full offering.

• Serino Royale Connecticut (Connecticut Shade)
• Serino Royale Medio (Ecuadorian Habano Claro)
• Serino Royale Maduro (Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro)
• Serino Royale Maduro XX (Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro)

Without further ado, let’s break down the Serino Royale Medio Robusto Gordo and see what that cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The Serino Royale Robusto Gordo is highlighted by a Habano 2000 seed Claro (lighter shade) wrapper and five-year-old aged Nicaraguan filler.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Claro (Habano 2000 seed)
Binder: Not Disclosed
Filler: Esteli, Nicaragua; Jalapa, Nicaragua (Aged Five Years)
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (La Corona SA)

Vitolas Available

The Serino Royale is available in four sizes – each packaged in 20-count boxes.

Toro: 6 x 52
Robusto Gordo: 5 ½ x 60
Belicoso: 5 1/2 x 60
Petite Sublime: 5 3/4 x 54

Appearance

The Habano 2000 wrapper of the Serino Royale Medio Robusto Gordo’s wrapper has a butterscotch color with a rosado tint mixed in. This wrapper was quite smooth with some oil on the surface. There were some thin visible veins and thin visible wrapper seams. This cigar was also a well-packed cigar that had a bit of weight to it when held in the hand.

There are two bands on the Serino Royale Maduro. The primary band is mostly blue with gold font. At the center of the band is an “S” on a red circle sitting on a blue shield. Above the shield is the text “SERINO”. To the left and right is a small version of the “S” logo on a red circle sitting on an inverted blue shield. The lower part of the band has the text “20th Anniversary” in gold font. The remainder of the band has several gold adornments. The band itself is finished in gold trim.

The secondary band is also blue in color with gold trim. The text “ROYALE MEDIO” is at the center of the band in gold font. A gold crown sits above that text. To the left and right is a small version of the “S” logo on a red circle sitting on an inverted blue shield.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Given this was a 60 ring gauge cigar, I went with a straight cut to remove the cap of the Serino Royale Medio Robusto Gordo. Once the cap was removed I proceeded with the pre-light draw. The cold draw of this cigar delivered a mix of  cedar, natural tobacco, and floral notes. Overall I considered this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, I removed the footer band of the Serino Royale Medio Robusto Gordo and awaited what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The Serino Royale Medio Robusto Gordo started out with a short spurt of white pepper. The white pepper subsided and was soon eclipsed by notes of natural tobacco sweetness and cedar. At the same time, there was an additional layer of pepper on the retro-hale, but this was more of a black pepper varietal.

As the Serino Royale Medio Robusto Gordo moved through the first third, some creamy earth notes surfaced in the forefront. Toward the end of the first third, there were some nut notes that also surfaced in the forefront. Meanwhile, the natural tobacco and cedar notes remained in the background. I also detected a slight floral note in the distant background. As for the white pepper notes that were present early on, these dissipated.

By the halfway point of the Serino Royale Medio Robusto, the earth notes remained primary. At this stage of the cigar experience, there was less creaminess present. At times the nut and natural tobacco notes each surfaced from time to time in the forefront. Meanwhile, there were still cedar and floral notes in the background. As the Medio Robusto moved into the latter part of the second third, there was an increase in the cedar notes. There was now some black pepper in the distant background as well.

The final third saw the cedar notes take control as the primary note. Occasionally some natural tobacco and earth floated into the forefront. There still were touches of floral and black pepper present. Much of the creaminess and nuttiness had now dissipated. This is the way the Serino Royale Medio Robusto Gordo came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The Serino Royale Medio Robusto Gordo maintained a straight burn path and also had a relatively straight burn line. There was some occasional jaggedness on the burn line, but this was remedied by some touch-ups. The resulting ash was tight and firm with a salt and pepper color scheme. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw to the Serino Royale Medio Robusto Gordo also performed quite well. This draw had a slight amount of resistance to it – something that I consider ideal.  At the same time, I found this to be a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

In terms of the flavors produced by the Serino Royale Medio Robusto Gordo, I found them to be medium-bodied. There was a slight increase in body as the smoking experience of the Medio Robusto Gordo continued, but I still found this cigar remained in the medium range for body.

As for strength, I found the Medio Robusto Gordo started out on the upper end of mild to medium. The strength increased in a linear fashion. By the second half, the strength moved into medium territory where it continued to slowly increase.

In terms of strength versus body, I found the body had the edge in the first half, but by the second half, I found both attributes were pretty close to being even.

Final Thoughts

As I mentioned up front, when it comes to the four blends in the Serino Royale line, the Medio is my favorite. This is a cigar that brought a total package to me – flavor, complexity, and excellent construction. I found the flavors both transitioned and complemented each other very nicely. For those ready to dismiss this cigar immediately because it’s a 60 ring gauge, you might be surprised as I found this blend worked great with the bigger ring gauge.

This is a cigar I could recommend to either a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I would smoke again – and it’s worthy of a box purchase.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Cream, Nut, Pepper, Floral
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength Mild to Medium (1st Half), Medium (2nd Half)
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Assessment: 4.0-Box Worthy
Score: 92

References

News: Serino Cigar Company Announces Debut with Serino Royale
Price: ~$9.20
Source: Serino Cigar Company
Brand Reference: Serino Cigar Company

Note: Serino Cigar Company is a sponsor of Cigar Coop

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted