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Cigar Review: Pinar Del Rio Clásico Exclusivo

Size: 5 x 50 Robusto

Wrapper: Connecticut (Ecuadorian)

Binder: Habano (Dominican)

Filler: Nicaraguan

Strength: Mild to Medium

Price: Box of 25, $114.99

Agent 24 from The Cigar Spy is back from running Black Ops for Santa Claus and completing some top secret cigar training to do a guest review for the Gentlemen here at Toasted Foot. Today’s target is the Pinar Del Rio Clásico Exclusivo from PDR Cigars. Let’s delve into the background on the cigar and see where it takes us from there!

Created in honor of the Pinar Del Rio region of Cuba, Pinar Del Rio Cigars are the work of Juan Rodriguez and Abraham Flores. This line is rolled in the famous Don Leoncio factory, which has over eighty years in the business.

Pre-light:
The construction on the PDR is firm to the touch with few veins. It is very solid with no visible imperfections. After using my trusty Xikar cutter to get this bad boy started, the cold draw is perfect, no difficulty in passing air through. I get a slight roasted nut taste.  Fire in the hole!!

Burn:
From the start, the PDR Clásico burns evenly and gives off a nice cloud of white puffy smoke. At no time did I have to touch-up or wait for the burn to even out throughout the entire cigar. The ash was a nice solid white with no flaking and I was able to let it burn almost halfway through before I first ashed it.

Flavor:
The PDR Clásico starts off with some nice roasted nut flavors with a hint of dark chocolate undertones. The retrohale leaves a hint of black pepper on the palette and tickles the sinuses. It is not at all unpleasant. This flavor profile is consistent throughout. I did pick up the occasional woodsy flavor sneaking in from time to time. Overall, though, roasted nut and dark chocolate were the prevalent flavors along with the pepper on the retro.

Overall:
The Pinar Del Rio Clasico Exclusivo was a mild-bodied smoke that left me feeling relaxed and full. There was no overwhelming nicotine kick to it and the flavor profile was consistent and enjoyable. I paired this cigar with everything from espresso and red bull in the morning to Dr. Pepper in the afternoon to some ice cold Magic Hat brews in the evening and found it enjoyable each time. I recommend it if you like something mild, yet flavorful and the PDR Clasico can be enjoyed any time of day.