Review: Patina Oro de Nicaragua Robusto

Today, we review the Patina Oro de Nicaragua in the Robusto size. Patina Oro de Nicaragua is the fifth regular production line for Mo Maali‘s Patina Cigars. While Patina Oro de Nicaragua made its debut in 2024, the story of this cigar goes back ten years. It was back in 2014 when My Father Cigars released an exclusive cigar line for Casa de Montecristo in Illinois known as the My Father Oro de Nicaragua. At the time Maali was working for Casa de Montecristo, and developed an affinity for that My Father exclusive. Fast forward several years, and Maali is now heading up Patina Cigars and wants to make his own Oro de Nicaragua. This eventually led to discussions about Patina acquiring the Oro de Nicaragua brand name and trademark.

With the addition of the Patina Oro de Nicaragua, Patina Cigars now has the following five core lines:

Patina Connecticut
Patina Habano
Patina Maduro
Patina Sumatra
Patina Oro de Nicaragua

In addition, Patina has released the Patina Anniversary, which has now become an annual limited edition release.

Let’s turn our attention back to the Patina Oro de Nicaragua Robusto and see what this cigar offers.

Patina Oro de Nicaragua Robusto – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

Patina Oro de Nicaragua features an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper over an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan and Connecticut Broadleaf filler tobaccos. The Oro de Nicaragua production comes from the NACSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Oscuro
Binder: Ecuador Sumatra
Filler: Nicaragua/CT Broadleaf
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Nicaragua American Cigars SA (NACSA)

Vitolas Offered

The cigars come in four sizes. Three of the four sizes are regular production sizes, including the Robusto. The Oro de Nicaragua Lancero is a limited-production release. The Lancero is also the first time this vitola has been put into ongoing production across the Patina portfolio.

Robusto 5 x 54
Toro: 6 x 52
Toro Extra: 6 ¼ x 54
Lancero: 7 x 40

Appearance (*)

Mahogany – that’s the color that came to mind when I looked at the Oro de Nicaragua Robusto wrapper. There was a nice coat of oil on this wrapper that really brought the Mahogany color to light. Upon closer examination, some toothiness could be seen on the wrapper. The wrapper’s surface had some visible veins. Any visible wrapper seams were on the thin side.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

A straight cut was used to commence the cigar experience of the Oro de Nicaragua Robusto. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw delivered a combination of coffee and sweet natural tobacco. Overall, this was an excellent pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Oro de Nicaragua Robusto and head into the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Oro de Nicaragua Robusto opened with more notes of coffee and natural tobacco, which became primary early on. In the background, a combination of wood, cedar, and black pepper emerged. There was also an additional layer of pepper present on the retro-hale.

As the cigar moved through the second third of the Oro de Nicaragua Robusto, the natural tobacco receded, and the wood notes joined the coffee in the forefront. Meanwhile, the natural tobacco, cedar, and black pepper notes rounded things off in the background. Later, in the second third, the pepper notes increased. Toward the end of the second third, the pepper became one of the more prominent secondary notes.

The final third saw the coffee and wood notes remain in the forefront. Meanwhile, the natural tobacco notes returned to the forefront, joining the wood and coffee. The pepper notes remained secondary, and touches of cedar were present in the background. This is how the cigar experience came to a close. The Oro de Nicaragua Robusto finished with a nub that was soft and cool in temperature.

Burn

On each of the Oro de Nicaragua Robusto samples, the first third was relatively low-maintenance when it came to the burn. The second third and beyond required more touch-ups to keep the straight burn path and the straight burn line. While the touch-ups did the trick, more than I preferred were needed. The resulting ash was silver-gray. This wasn’t an overly firm ash, but it wasn’t loose, either. In terms of the burn rate and burn temperature, both were ideal.

Burn of the Patina Oro de Nicaragua Robusto

Draw

Overall, the draw of the Oro de Nicaragua Robusto performed quite well. It had a touch of resistance to it, which I like. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

The Oro de Nicaragua Robusto was a bolder offering in the Patina portfolio. This cigar was medium to full in strength and medium to full in body. There was a nominal increase in the intensity level of both attributes during the smoking experience, but both stayed in the medium to full range. In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overpowering the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

The white and gold boxes really shine on the Patina Oro de Nicaragua. Even in today’s economy, $13.00-$16.00 is not an inexpensive line. These boxes give the line a nice element of luxury.

Packaging of the Patina Oro de Nicaragua

The red, white, gold, and “patina”-colored bands really look nice in the boxes and against the Mahogany wrapper.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

While it’s not factored into the score, I cannot help but keep looking at the wrapper Oro de Nicaragua wrapper- its simply outstanding. Of course, this cigar offers more than a nice wrapper. Flavor-wise, the Patina Oro de Nicaragua delivers excellent flavor. This continues through the first two-thirds. The drawback was that the flavors became slightly muddled in the final third. In the end, the positives outweigh any negatives here. This is a cigar I would probably steer toward a more seasoned cigar enthusiast. Still, it’s certainly a cigar I would recommend to a novice looking to “graduate” to something bolder. As for myself, this is a cigar I can not only see myself returning to but also trying some of the other sizes in the line.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Natural Tobacco, Wood, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Buy One
Score: 89

Let’s Get Pairing

Tripp and Denis did pairings with the Patina Oro de Nicaragua on a Let’s Get Pairing episode. Due to age restrictions, you may need to click on watch on YouTube: