Cigar: Rodriguez Reserva Privada
Size: Corona
Smoke time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Appearance & Aroma
Dressed in a classic, elegant band of red, white and gold with a bit of embossing, this Ecuadorian shade grown Connecticut wrapper is smooth, silky and perfectly wrapped. The cigar has very few veins and a uniform appearance from head to foot. It offers up a pre-light aroma of sweet floral notes, vanilla, toasted oats and a sugary sweetness that leaves me with the thought of warm sugar cookies.
Light-Up & Draw
The draw is smooth, with a little resistance, and it offers easy-to-draw pillowy clouds of smoke from the very beginning. As I begin to toast the cigar I immediately get the aroma of warm vanilla and cedar. At light-up, the palate is inundated with that same warm vanilla sweetness, along with salted butter, almond cookie and a floral finish. The early retrohale is sweet floral, cedar and a faint kiss of white pepper.
Early Profile
Early on, I get almond and a touch of cedar up front, and then, as the flavor develops, it’s a journey of rich vanilla, salted butter, and toasted oat. The finish is still a beautiful floral note, though less sweet now, and complemented by that kiss of white pepper. The retrohale is sweet floral, white pepper, and vanilla bean. The cigar’s perfect construction and burn are features I have come to expect from Rodriguez Cigars, and this cigar is no exception.
Middle Profile & Burn
The cigar begins to get very interesting toward the middle of the smoke with the introduction of a light cinnamon note. The floral note is beginning to drop away and is replaced with a sweet, faint leather that balances the profile beautifully. The retrohale has settled into flavors of buttery vanilla, sweet cedar, and white pepper. Crisp burn line and ashes are holding, falling off naturally at about the three-quarter-inch mark.
Late Profile
As I continue to burn into the final third of this beautifully crafted cigar, the profile develops into a beautiful mixture of cocoa and coffee, cinnamon, salted butter, almond cookie, and that leather finish has become more prominent and less sweet. There is a crisp burn and the ashes are stacked like dimes.
Overall Impression
Overall, this is a fantastic cigar that I frequently recommend to customers. No matter where you are in your cigar journey, this cigar is one that should be in your rotation. I have yet to find a Connecticut shade-wrapped cigar that offers as much complexity and flavor as the Reserva Privada. Approachable enough for the beginner and flavorful enough for the most discerning aficionado. A great cigar to enjoy any time of day. The Reserva Privada has become the most-sold cigar in the humidor at Creekside Cigar Co. and is a favorite among all who work at the lounge.
– Review by Noah Tucker, a tobacconist at Creekside Cigar Company in Maineville, Ohio.
This story first appeared in PCA The Magazine, Volume 3, 2024. To receive a copy of this magazine, you must be a current PCA member. Join or renew today at premiumcigars.org/membership.