Every now and then I come across a new cigar brand that peaks my interest. Today I would like to talk about a new brand that was debuted at the 2022 PCA trade show and also at this years TPE in Las Vegas, NV. The company is known as Don Doroteo Cigars founded by Juan Lugo the grandson of Doroteo Delgado who grew tobacco for La Aurora in the Dominican Republic dating back to 1936.
Juan wanted to honor his grandfather and decided to create the new company with cigars produced by La Aurora.
According to Juan Lugo:
“We essentially reignited my grandfather’s partnership with La Aurora in 2021 as it made sense to do so with them, over anyone else. He was working with them from 1936, at the age of 16. When he passed away a decade ago now, the business died with him. No one in the family had any interest in getting into the farming business, as most of his descendants had moved on and established lives in the U.S.”
Juan and his company launched their first blend at PCA 2022 called El Legado which translates to “The Legacy”
The El Legado has blend described as:
- Wrapper – Ecuadorian Sumatra
- Binder – Ecuadorian Sumatra
- Filler – Colombia, Dominican Republic (Cibao Valley), Nicaragua
The company launched 5 vitolas in this blend:
- Robusto (5 x 50) – MSRP $20.75/cigar (20-count boxes)
- Sumo Toro (5 3/4 x 54) – MSRP $24.75/cigar (Packs of 3)
- Corona (5 1/2 x 42) – MSRP $19.50/cigar (10-count boxes)
- Churchill (7 x 47) – MSRP $23.75/cigar (10-count boxes)
- Belicoso (6 1/4 x 52) – MSRP $24.75/cigar (10-count boxes and 20-count boxes)
For this review I sampled one of the Don Doroteo El Legado Robustos which I received from the company for the purpose for reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Don Doroteo El Legado sports a medium to dark brown wrapper that has slight oily sheen. There is some marbling that runs through the leaf along with a few veins. I found the cigar to be firmly bunched and well rolled. A simple cap finishes the presentation.
Two bands adorn the cigar. The primary band uses a gold, yellow, black, and white motif. The company logo is boldly displayed in the center and the blend “El Legado” is printed below. There are numerous gold leafy swirls across the band and the words “Republica Dominicana” printed on top. Of most interest is the word and date “Nació 1920” centered on top, it translates to “Born 1920” which is the year Doroteo Delgado was born. There is also the year 1936 on the bottom, which is the year Doroteo Delgado started working at La Aurora.
If that is not enough, of a story, there is secondary vellum sleeve that covers most of the rest of the cigar and has written on it in gold, Juan Lugo’s testament to his grandfather:
“Legacy is fundamental to what it means to be human. Without the sense of purposeful work, one loses meaning in their life. In 1936, at the tender age of 16, Doroteo Fermin Delgado began his legacy – for his descendants. his community, and ultimately for the world. He never imagined the impact he would have on this industry, for years to come.”
Running the Don Doroteo El Legado along the nose, i noted a slightly pungent note along the barrel and off the foot.
Once I opened the cap perfectly with my CigarMedics Baller cutter, I gave the cigar some cold draw puffs that I found to be decent with restriction and offering a growing black pepper note.
With the pre-light out of the way, it was time to start the journey as I warmed the foot with my single flame torch and drew in the first peppery blasts of smoke that quickly opened my nasals on the retrohale. Follow along as I burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Black pepper blast to start
- Touch of almond and coffee is filling in the early profile
- Light grey ash forms on top of a mildly wavy medium thick char line
- Ash fell in a decent chunk, revealing a slightly off centered burn cone
- Spice notes develop moving into the second third
- Spicy pepper continues with an added cocoa powder note midway
- Burn is still a bit jagged
- Citrus notes join the mix deep in the second third
- An added touch of sweet nuttiness smooths out the final with a delightfully citrus finish
- Medium in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 30 minutes
Final Analysis
I found the Don Doroteo El Legado Robusto to be a quite a flavorful cigar that started with a solid strike of black pepper to begin the journey and quickly settled in to a a delicious combination of almond and coffee. A solid core of spice rested in the background through the experience with added nuances of cocoa a sweet nut. I very much enjoyed the citrus finish that lingered on the palate through the second half of the cigar. From a burn perspective, it did have an ever persistent jagged burn but never needed to be touchup and when the ash fell it did exhibit a slightly off centered burn cone. I would say, if you are looking for something new to add to your rotation, that has a pleasant and different than normal flavor profile, grab a fiver of these and see how they develop. I rate this a 92.
Point Deductions: (-1) Jagged Burn; (-1) Slightly Off centered Burn cone
