Exactus Cigars is a trademarked name of Tabacalera El Artista, a 60-year-old icon in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The original Exactus hit the market around 2013 and was followed up with the Puro Ambar line a year later. Today I offer you a review of the Puro Ambar Legacy.
The name Puro Ambar comes from the rich history of the amber gem stone, high in the mountains of Santiago. It is known as the oldest and hardest variety, dating back 25 million years. We all know, true gems come from years of waiting, and that is what the Puro Ambar cigar represents.
Around this time last year I had the opportunity to meet the Rodriguez family and personally tour their El Artista facilities. You can read the Stogie Press article, “From Seed to Palate“, to get the full appreciation of what goes into every cigar they produce.
Produced at Tabacalera El Artista, the Puro Ambar is a beautifully wrapped cigar, adorned with a bright white and amber-colored primary band and finished with a glistening amber footer band.
The Puro Ambar Legacy blend is described as:
- Wrapper – 1900 (Exclusive of Tabacalera El Artista grown in Rancho Elba Maria)
- Binder – Dominican Wine Fermented Criollo 98
- Filler – Dominican Criollo 98 & 1900 (Exclusive of Tabacalera El Artista grown in Rancho Elba Maria)
Available in two vitolas and the Puro Ambar Legacy comes packaged in 14 and 21-count boxes:
- Grand Robusto – 5.25 x 54
- Gran Toro – 6.5 x 56
For this review I sampled the Puro Ambar Legacy Grand Robusto
Cigar Review Notes
- Coffee bean brown wrapper with a fine sheen and slight grit
- Spicy chocolate foot
- Red pepper and earth on the cold draw especially on the lips
- Quick dose of pepper after light which slides into a mild nut
- Medium dark grey ash, tight and well-formed, resting on a medium char line
- Woody notes enter near the middle of the first third
- The ash drops about every inch or so, and reveals a well centered, flattend burn cone
- Spice and butter join the wood as an enticing fruit aroma wafts off the foot
- The wood begins to morph into a cedar note
- Butter increases with a touch of dark espresso bean entering the second third
- Dry cocoa powder moves in midway through the second third
- Medium strength
- Aroma shifts to a sweet wood that eventually finds the taste buds
- Spice ratchets up in final third as the aroma shifts again to fruit and floral
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 20 minutes down to the nub!
Overall, the Puro Ambar Legacy cigar by Exactus was a terrific smoke, rich in flavor and burned like a champ. Priced around $5.00 it is worth every cent. I always say, we need more quality $5.00 cigars and the Puro Ambar Legacy is just that.
Puro Ambar Legacy
El Artista is a sponsor of Stogie Press, but in no way has that impacted the review of this cigar.