Wed 31 May 2006
So after my little tour of the Navarre cigar factory in the tiny town of Navarrenx, I proceeded across the street to purchase a few of the jewels that had tantalized my imagination at the factory. It turns out that French law prohibits the sale or distribution of tobacco products except at local tobacconist shops… go figure, a cigar manufacturer isn’t allowed to sell his own product, like a winery would. That said, France has never had a tobacco manufacturer before, so that is bound to change.
The excellent looking stick came in a truly French package—a very elegant cardboard box that made me feel like I was about to smoke a chocolate truffle. My feeling at this point is that it can’t get any more French than that.
The cigar itself has a very interesting golden brown color. The wrapper is impeccable, as I would expect it to be, and the aroma is mildly buttery at this point with some cinnamon and nutmeg hints. I clipped the triple cap on the cigar and proceeded to give it a pre-light draw. I got an initial note of hay that moved more and more toward dried red chilly peppers—sort of like crushed pepper flakes, but without the piquant effect… a nice start.
On the light, the foot releases a slightly earthy aroma. The smoke is grassy with defining notes of red bell peppers. There is a good body to it as well. It gave the impression of strength, and I was reassured that I wasn’t smoking a slacker. When solicited frequently, the stick is able to deliver black pepper and spicy notes too. The complexity of the cigar so far made a good impression, considering that it was probably just rolled.
I wasn’t very happy about the quality of the burn, but here I feel that I have to cut these guys a break. I mean, I virtually grabbed this stick right off the roller’s table and, since I’m on the road, I haven’t given it the much needed stabilizing time in my humidor. This is a cigar that I’ll have to re-examine in a couple of years.
At around the half way mark, the cigar takes on a darker, grilled, profile. I was pleased with the roasted notes and the graphite undertone. Increasing notes of grilled bell pepper hint slightly at the classic Ramon Allones Specially Selected. Toward the end I got a dose of coffee and sweet wood, which contributed to the smooth woody finish.
I can only speculate about how the cigar will do with aging. Remember that this cigar is very, very young. But seeing that even in this young state it exhibits some complexity and many nuances, I can only guess it will be great in six months to a year. Beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see… hats off the Navarre for a very good effort!!
June 1st, 2006 at 12:00 am
For some reason I’ve never thought of France as having the tropical climate typical of cigar tobacco growing regions. (Granted, Connecticut is not tropical either, but it’s primarily a wrapper-only crop that’s produced there.) What are the climate and soil conditions in this area?
June 1st, 2006 at 7:57 am
That was exactly my thought and exactly why I was so curious. The area is called Bearn and it is along the French Spanish border. The climate consists basically of extremely cold temperatures in winter and very dry heat in summer, though a bit cooler in the mornings and evenings. About the soil, I can only say that the area has been producing blond tobacco since it became an industry here.
What they have done, since they have no beef with Cuba, is hire Cuban specialists in the trade to help them come up with a system to reproduce optimal conditions. It has required a lot of technology and practice since 1995 to finally produce a crop in 2003 that was good enough for the first cigar.
Ultimately Castro gave them permission to bring back Cuban cigar experts to help them with cigar manufacture: choosing the leaves, fermenting, blending etc. When I was there last week I had the chance to meet them and talk to them. They are very serious about what they are doing.
Now, is the cigar a “Cuban” cigar? Hehe… of course not, but I think that comparison is unfair. It does however have certain nuances of a Cuban cigar.
My final thought is that this Robusto is a good beginning and a good effort. I expect that their tobacco crops will get better in the coming years.
The price of one of these puppies is 11.00 euros each! But you know that any cigar aficionado will pay 11.00 bucks to try a “new” thing. Would I stuff a humidor with these? Of course not. If I wanted to pay 11.00 euros for a cigar I’d buy PSD#4s. I would, though, keep a few Navarre for anging.
June 1st, 2006 at 10:37 pm
I’m a sucker for good packaging. I think its one of those small things that make a difference. The red bell pepper notes would make it an interesting smoke.
April 9th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
I just saw on Luxe TV a reportage on Navarre Cigars and I am also curious about it…where can I buy one to try?
Merci
September 21st, 2007 at 4:38 pm
I just tried one of these and have to agree with most of E.Z.’s comments. They are a tasty smoke and that red bell pepper taste does stand out. That being said, the cigar I bought was packed a little too tightly but very nice and worth the 10 Euros I spent. I will definetly be going back for a few more. The store I bought the cigar in has 3 sizes petit robusto, robusto and a double corona (which comes in a glass tube). You can detect some ‘cuban’ type flavours but it is a unique cigar on its own.