Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we 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 giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the Herrera Esteli Miami in the Robusto Grande size This is a cigar line we assessed back in November 2017 in the Corona Large size.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican
Country of Origin: United States
Factory: El Titan de Bronze
Robusto Grande: 5 1/4 x 52

Before Willy Herrera joined the Drew Estate team in 2011, he worked at the famed El Titan de Bronze factory in Little Havana, Florida. Herrera would eventually emerge as Drew Estate’s Master Blender. A few years later, Herrera would return to El Titan de Bronze and craft a special limited edition project for Drew Estate out of that factory known as Herrera Esteli Miami. Released in 2016, the Herrera Esteli Miami was a unique project in that not only was it not done at Drew Estate’s La Gran Fabrica, but it was one that was not even made in Nicaragua. Herrera Esteli Miami would become a huge hit, so in 2018 Drew Estate announced that Herrera Esteli Miami would return as an expanded line with ongoing production. Today we look at one of the 2018 sizes release, the Herrera Esteli Miami Robusto Grande.

The original Herrera Esteli Miami was released in one size – a 5 3/4 x 48 Corona Larga. When the ongoing production of Herrera Esteli Miami was released, the four additional sizes were released and the bands were changed from red, white, and gold to black, white, and gold.

The blend for the Herrera Esteli Miami consists of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and a combination of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. Consistent with the other four sizes in Herrera Esteli Miami, the Robusto Grande comes in ten-count boxes.

The Herrera Esteli Miami Robusto Grande started out with notes of natural tobacco, earth, white pepper, and wood. The natural tobacco notes had a slight fruit-like sweetness to them. Early on the earth and natural tobacco notes moved to the forefront. Both notes alternated in intensity and by the midway the natural tobacco notes took control. By the midway point, the wood notes took on more of a cedar quality. Both the cedar and pepper increased in the second half, but in the end, never overshadowed the natural tobacco notes. The resulting nub at the end of the cigar was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

In terms of strength and body, the Herrera Esteli Miami was at a medium level. There was a slight increase in the intensity levels throughout the smoking experience, but in the end, the cigar remained medium. The strength and body also maintained a nice equilibrium.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

I found the original Corona Larga size of the Herrera Esteli Miami to be impressive. I wondered how the cigar would perform in the Robusto Grande size with a bigger production run. The good news is the Herrera Esteli Miami Robusto Grande came through with flying colors. I found this cigar to deliver rich and well-balanced flavors. In the end, this was a better experience than the first time. This is a cigar I could recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, it’s a cigar I would smoke again – and it garners box worthy consideration.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Fruit, Cedar, Wood, Pepper, Earth
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Box Worthy Consideration
Score: 91

References

Previous Assessment: Herrera Esteli Miami Corona Larga by Drew Estate
News: Drew Estate to Launch Expanded Herrera Esteli Miami Line at 2018 IPCPR
Price: $10.99
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Herrera Estelí

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted