The Particulars

This LEGACY review for the Fratello The Pelican - Robusto Grande (5.5 x 54) is based on the journal entry dated 2024-11-08.

Note: My original review format only had a single overall score of 1 to 5 with the “Buy it Again?” value assessment.  This mean’s there’s no sectioned scoring for different factors and I didn’t capture data for my flavor wheel, which may be blank.  If I have journaled the cigar again since I began capturing flavor wheel data, that data will be present.  If the cigar is still available to me, I will eventually replace the legacy review with one in the current format. 

It has an Ecuadorian Havana Vuelta Abajo wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and a mix of fillers from the Dominican Republic and Pennsylvania, including Dominican Andullo tobacco. Andullo, which is known more for being used in pipe tobaccos, is processed by being placed into long, tightly wrapped cylindrical pods known as yaguas, then stacked on top of one another and rotated while the tobacco processes. It is a very different process than the air curing in barns that most premium cigar tobacco undergoes.

The wrapper is a warm, medium-dark brown with nice mottling. The veins are visible and dark, but fairly smooth with nice tight seams. It’s a good-looking cigar and I like how Fratello does a chevron-esque label. It has an Art Deco look that I like, but other than the label on the cellophane, there are no indications that this is The Pelican. Potentially problematic if you have other Fratello cigars naked in your box with similar labels.

The cold smell is sweet and has a light floral aromatic note. It’s quite nice and a little different. Once lit, I picked up espresso, light chocolate, and a mix of nutty and earthy flavors. It also hits you with a good amount of black pepper on the back end. There’s also light sweetness and the floral notes that keep it light, with a smooth finish. This is surprisingly complex and enjoyable.

The draw was spot on and it had a fairly solid burn line. It created a white ash that was very controlled and stacked nicely. This was my first Fratello, but I think I’ll need to try more of them in the future.

The only real downside to this cigar is it’s a limited release of only 5,000, so it will be harder to find. So if you do find it, grab more than one!

Review Base Rating (0-5):

5.00

Would I Buy It Again?

Signs point to yes (recommended)

Review Final Score (0-10):

9.50

Overall Score and Individual Journal Entries

While the review is based off one instance of journaling this cigar; there’s a number of reasons you can have different experiences smoking the same cigar multiple times. A blend can evolve with age (for better or worse), palates evolves, preferences change, and sometimes you just get a bad example!  This section captures the ratings from each journal entry and the related journal photo.  Below you’ll find an aggregate score based on every time the cigar has been journaled. Unless it was a gift or on-off smoke, this section will be updated every time I journal this cigar!

The Flavor Wheel

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.