The Particulars

The Review

This review for the AG Cigars Alejandro Robaina Cubana (No. 2) - Robusto (4.88 x 56) is based on the journal entry dated 2026-07-02

Appearance & Construction (0-3):  Good (3)

Maybe it’s just me, but this gives big H. Upmann Magnum 54 vibes just on appearance alone. The two primary bands mimic the Magnum 54’s band structure with an added foot band. Same goes for the wrapper with its light, leathery brown color, smooth texture, and thin veins. There’s a light sheen but no real tooth and the occasional thicker vein. But these are just beautifully done cigars. Beautiful wrappers, clean rolls, gorgeously ornate band designs, and a cute little pigtail on the cap. And going back to the bands: the red and gold color combination, highly detailed and embossed, is just chef’s kiss. 🤌🏻​

Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4):  Poor (1) / Good (3)

The draw is a hair tight, but acceptable. Though I’m not ruling out violating it with the draw tool if it doesn’t loosen a little as it heats up. The burn starts very wavy and erratic, but quickly calms down into a well-controlled, if slightly wavy, burn line. The ash is a light-to-medium gray that has very tight spacing between the striations and cracks. The ash falls unexpectedly just after the first third, but it’s not crumbling or flaky. Starting the final third, it needs a correction where one edge is lagging, resulting in slight swelling and splitting of the wrapper. That lagging edge ends up canoeing in the final third—oh well. 🙄

Another issue worth mentioning… I love my PerfecPunch, but with the tighter draw, I found some of the filler tobacco started to pull out of the hole in the head. My inclination would have been to grab the draw tool or pull the tobacco with my fingers, but I was worried that it would pull out too much and the head would collapse, so I spent the final third praying I didn’t end up with a mouthful of loose tobacco. I’ll be using the V-cut on my next one to see if that helps.

Flavor Profile (0-5):  Excellent (5)

Cedar, citrus, honey sweetness, earth, nutmeg, and leather all hit immediately. Bits of white pepper hit next, and the cedar starts to develop a white bread flavor to it. There’s a thicker chewiness to the smoke, but it’s very creamy, with a bit of a marshmallow fluff-type thickness and chalkiness to it. Cinnamon and baking spice start to pick up nicely, while I start to get a floral, vanilla-like note that’s really pleasing. Nuance is key to this blend.

Getting into the second third, I start picking up a vegetal funk that has shades of barnyard, but also a savory, mushroom-like earthiness. It’s really adding to the umami aspects of the flavor profile. For what is at its heart light and cedary, there is a very chewy and savory quality to this cigar. White pepper and citrus notes really start to pick up at the midway point to a stronger medium-plus, bringing more bite. While still very woody, the white bread notes have become more toasted almond-like. The complexity and nuance are really impressive with this blend. No single flavor is overpowering the mix; it’s swirling and dancing beautifully.  But it’s also weird… the individual flavors are fantastic but somehow it’s not all working together correctly for me.  There’s something about it that is just a little off.  It feels like when you let a kid choose their own ice cream toppings and they throw everything on at once.  Individually, each topping is a delight, but it gets overloaded with incompatible flavors and just too much of everything.  That’s what this cigar feels like to me.

The final third starts with cedar, earth, white pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, floral vanilla, almonds, hints of white bread, mushroom, honey, citrus zest, and a thick, dry marshmallow creaminess. You might hear other people use words like honeysuckle (honey and floral) and marzipan (almonds and sugar). I finally start to get some coffee notes at the very end as the sweetness pulls back. Complex, nuanced, transitional—this cigar has all the hallmarks of a beautifully crafted and balanced blend… but yet I’m still not really digging this blend.  It’s such a fucking conundrum because the individual components are fantastic but it’s just not coming together correctly for me.  I want to love this cigar but it just doesn’t work.  Fuck…

Overall Experience (0-5):  Great (4)

Having only smoked a handful of Cubans, I’m hesitant to use the word “Cubanesque” because I don’t have the depth and familiarity to compare many of them to this blend, but it feels like they hit the mark. So as a distinctly New World smoker, as most Americans are, I do feel this is a nod toward the Old World Cuban profile that you don’t get out of a lot of New World blends, but with a little extra. I take it as a modern spin on Old World profiles. Now, whether or not that works for you will be very palate-dependent. I think people are either going to love this blend for what it is, others might find it too light, and some people may end up in a situation like me where it’s just not landing correctly.  The problem with being in the third group is you’re even more likely to find this cigar not worth the cost of entry for what it is, but it’d be a lot more forgiving if it was priced similarly to AG’s other cigars. But if you’re not a complete Cuban elitist and you’re looking for something that is accessible and Cubanesque in the American market, this is absolutely worth checking out.

It’s also worth reiterating that my style is not one (or two) then done.  I have plans to revisit this cigar multiple times, journaling each one to build that composite score and flavor wheel.  Any truly notable experiences or changes will get mentioned in the postscript section to provide updates.  I don’t know if more time will really change this one as the tobacco has 5 years of age and the rolled cigar was aged 9 months prior to release, but it won’t dissuade me from revisiting this one.

Review Base Rating (0-5):

4.00

Is it Burnable?

Most likely (good stick, but look for a deal)

Review Final Score (0-10):

7.67

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.