Blind Review: Free Will Robusto

CigarPage.Com’s Free Will Robusto is made for Cigarpage.com by Oliva Cigars.  Yes, the same makers of the Melanio V’s you have come to love and celebrate.  CigarPage.Com’s Free Will Robusto is a triple habano cigar whose uniqueness comes from the center cut condega leaf used in the blend. This “centro fino” leaf is supposed to hold both the max sugar and nicotine content because of the time window it is harvested in. CigarPage.Com’s Free Will is considered a limited cigar because these filler leaves account for only ” 0.8% of Oliva’s total filler harvest annually.” There were only 125,000 of these cigars made.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: CigarPage.Com’s Free Will Robusto
  • Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
  • Binder: Habano Condega
  • Filler: Habano Condega, Habano Ometepe, Habano Jalapa
  • Size: 5×54

Blind Review: Free Will by Oliva Cigars / Cigar Page

Appearance & Construction

The cigar is a rustic, veiny, tough looking robusto. It is packed very well with a good weight in hand and a double cap. The body and foot smell sweet and perfumey.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The cold draw is perfect with cedar and cologne on the breath. First puff is savory, sweet and spicy with tons of smoke production.  Cedar and cocoa aroma off the foot.  The retrohale is toasty and briny. There is a Nilla Wafer sweetness contrasting more meaty steak notes, leaving any pepper nuances far on the backend.  First third is harmonious. Nice ash build up. The burn line stays cool.

Second third is still very rich and robust without being overwhelming.  The boldness of the first third has actually calmed down a little, but is still very savory and sweet.  Any pepper is completely gone and lends more to a toasted bread. Burn line is a little uneven, but self corrects. The smoke stays cool and I can puff away at convenience.  The cigar is actually turning out to be quite the slow burner. The retrohale is herbaceous to say the least. Almost like a breakfast tea. There are some last nuances that offer up great transitions of wood and cocoa powder.

Last third is just as enjoyable as the first two.  A melding of all the previous flavors are now present.  Even the retrohale syncs up.  The cigar is woody, earthy, savory, briny, salty/sweet, and very herbal. The smoke can dry your mouth out at times, so just stay hydrated. Smoke production, ash build up, and heat maintenance remain superb.

Conclusion

CigarPage.com’s Free Will Robusto was a very enjoyable medium strength, but full body experience bursting with flavor and even some nuance. For fans of Indonesian tobacco that smoke Ashton VSG’s or anything Kristoff makes with an Indonesian binder, you may want to give CigarPage.com’s Free Will Robusto a try.  Though there is no Indonesian tobacco in the blend, the flavor profile is sure to match up to what your accustomed to.  Also, for any fans of Perdomo’s sun grown wrapped cigars or Aganorsa’s Lunatic “Hombre Libre” blend , CigarPage.com’s Free Will Robusto will also be something you may want to try.  The triple habano combination is a winner for sure.

Final Score: 89

Michael Carfagna: For 20+ years, Michael has been a cigar smoker and wine drinker, and takes a lot of pride in the palate he has acquired. He feels that drinking and smoking are the two best vices a man could ever have. Michael currently passes the time as an assistant wine and cider maker for two of the biggest names in the New York natural wine scene, as well as working a few shifts at an established Westchester cigar lounge. He can most likely be found sipping on something bubbly and firing up a Nicaraguan puro after a hard days work...and sometimes on-the-job, if no one is looking. As an avid reader and writer, Michael is very appreciative of the team at Fine Tobacco NYC for the opportunity to join the blind review panel.