Humidor – Non Cuban Humidor 1

And here is my other small humidor with a selection of my non cuban cigars in it.

Review: Four Kicks Robusto Extra

Having enjoyed the Seleccion No.5 so much I was keen to get my hands on some more Four Kicks cigars, when my friend in the USA told me his local store had reductions on the range I asked if he could get me a box. I was after the Robusto as its a favourite size of mine for cigars, but as they had sold out my friend got me the Robusto Extra.

So the question is how close to the flavour of the No.5 is the Robusto Extra….

Appearance 8.0/10

This is a good looking fat and relatively short cigar, the wrapper is a dark brown, and if I am honest looks more rustic than the wrapper on the No.5, its got quite a few veins, and a bit of tooth, so to me it does not look as good. The band is classy, with its well printed gold and white pattern on a deep red background.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

Okay so just like the No.5 the construction on this cigar is excellent, it has tight seams, and very clean cap construction. There were no soft or hard spots on the cigar, and it was well packed with tobacco

The draw on this cigar was just perfect, with enough resistance so it did not feel like you were sucking on air, but no hint of tightness. The burn line on this cigar was razor sharp, required no touch ups, and the ash held for a good inch before it started to fall.

Flavour 8.5/10

The flavour and flavour transitions of this cigar were pretty much the same as the No.5, which is lucky as that is what attracted me to the brand.

Pre-light draw had a very slight pepper taste to it, once lit there was a good strong tobacco flavour with hints of wood and leather. About an inch in there was a very nice sweet note, and slightly further on I could also detect a slight citrus flavour. About half way through a leather note was added, the pepper increase slightly and just remained on the back of the palate, at this point there were a lot of different flavours which made the cigar highly enjoyable.

Where this cigar deviated form the No.5 is in the last third or so of the cigar, the strength really kicks up a notch. To be honest it took me a little by surprise, and I was glad I had eaten only a short while before having this stick, otherwise I would have been in trouble…

Note to self always eat before the Robusto Extra…

Value 8.0/10

I think at this price the cigar offers pretty good value for money, especially if you like a big kick at the end of your cigars !

Summary 8.5/10

So this was an interesting smoke, and you may notice that I have marked it 0.5 less than the No.5, this is still a great cigar, and I am going to enjoy them a lot, however the appearance is not as good as the No.5, and the kick at the end was a little unexpected.

I think I would prefer the flavour profile at the end to be more like the No.5, but thats just me, and I am sure others will really appreciate the kick, just eat something first, you have been warned!

Get your Four Kicks Robusto Extra Here…

Review: Four Kicks Seleccion No.5

I had never heard of this cigar before (probably because I live in the UK where you cant get the majority of the cigars you can in the USA), so I had no idea what the expect, couple this with the relatively slim ring gauge and the length and I was not expecting a lot.

So lets see how this cigar performs…

Appearance 9.0/10

This is a very elegant looking cigar, its length and slim size give it that classic cigar look. The band is small and classy, with its well printed gold and white pattern on a deep red background. The wrapper looks great and is medium brown.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

Construction on this cigar is excellent, the wrapper if almost perfect, there is very little tooth, only a few veins, tight seams, and very clean cap construction. There were no soft or hard spots on the cigar, and it was well packed with tobacco.

I was worried about the draw due to the relatively narrow ring gauge, I clipped the cap with ease and the pre-light draw was perfect, just enough resistance, not at all what I expected. The burn line on this cigar was razor sharp and required no touch ups.

Flavour 8.5/10

Pre-light draw had a very slight pepper taste to it, once lit there was a good strong tobacco flavour with hints of wood and leather. About an inch in there was a very nice sweet note, and slightly further on I could also detect a slight citrus flavour. About half way through a leather note was added, the pepper increase slightly and just remained on the back of the palate, at this point there were a lot of different flavours which made the cigar highly enjoyable.

Value 8.0/10

This cigar retails at around 7.50 USD, which puts it up against a number of accomplished cigars, and its not at the budget end of the price range for a cigar of this size. However I think the construction quality and flavour profile of this cigar make the price well worth paying. Value for money is not always about the lowest price, and I think these cigars offer pretty good value for money.

Summary 9.0/10

This cigar certainly exceeded my expectations, the narrow ring gauge made me worry about the draw but it was perfect, and the general construction was excellent. This is not a power house cigar, but its a great smoke with a sophisticated flavour profile that you could smoke at any time of the day, it would also make a good introduction to cigars for a newbie.

I will certainly be looking to sample more four kicks cigars, and when I have a little space in the humidor I plan to put a few away.

Get your Four Kicks Seleccion No.5 Here…