Review of Conuco Robusto Cigar

Conuco cigars are made in Honduras with a blend of Honduran, Costa Rican, Nicaraguan, and Panamanian filler tobaccos. The cigar has a Honduran Habano wrapper, and a Nicaraguan binder. Conuco is another brand of cigars made by Rocky Patel for the Famous Smoke Shop. I thank Gary Korb for sending me a couple of samples. The Robusto size cigar measures five inches long with a ring gauge of 50. Conuco was one of the Famous Smoke Shop's Top 25 cigars of 2008.

Unlike other Rocky Patel cigars made under different brand names, such as Cruz Real and Nicarao, the Conuco Robusto that I smoked was actually pretty darn good. Since Rocky makes a wide variety of cigars under different names (including "counterfeits" of his own brands), there are bound to be a few Rocky Patel cigars that you may not like, as well as some that you will like. The Edge Lite and Conuco are just a couple of examples of his better efforts, at least in my opinion. Conuco is a full bodied cigar that has deep rich tobacco flavors, and is somewhat earthy with hints of cocoa. The cigar was enjoyable all the way down to 1 ½ inches remaining, and I usually stop smoking most cigars with two inches remaining.

My Conuco Robusto cigar was tightly packed, which resulted in a draw that was a little too tight at the beginning. However, after just a few minutes, the draw improved. The cigar had an even burn and held a very long firm ash. No relights or touch ups were needed, as you might guess after viewing the picture of that long, perfectly formed ash. The ash held on for almost 45 minutes, and did not collapse even after being flicked off into the ashtray. Very impressive! The cigar took almost an hour to smoke down to 1 ½ inches remaining.

At a cost of $3 to $4 per cigar, depending if purchased in a box of 20 or in a 5-pack, the Conuco is a great value for being a full bodied cigar with such an enjoyable taste and great burn. And did I mention the long ash? These cigars are more geared for experienced cigar smokers, and I consider them a must try for the price. Good job, Rocky!