Por Larrañaga Asia Pacific Regional Robustos Cigar Review

It is always gratifying to find something surprising when you are not looking.  I recently had the good fortune to find the Por Larrañaga Asia Pacific Regional Robustos 2007 in a local shop and did not hesitate to pick up the remaining three, knowing full well how rare they are.

Por Larranaga brand and its’ Regional editions

The Por Larrañaga line itself is quite small with currently four cigars in production in its portfolio and ring sizes and tends to be on the thin size.   The Montecarlo at 33 ring gauge, Panatela at 36, Petit Corona at 42 and the largest ring gauge in the line, we have the  Picadores at 48.  Therefore, this particular regional edition with a 50 ring gauge is certainly a welcome sight for someone who likes Por Larrañaga but yearns for a larger smoke.

This particular vitola was made exclusively by Habanos S.A. at the specific request of The Pacific Cigar Company, the distributor of Habanos throughout Asia and beyond.  The robusto size, which is a first under the Por Larrañaga brand, was chosen as the 2007 Asia Pacific Regional Edition because of its popular size among smokers.  Only 6000 [240 – 25 count boxes of the 50 ring gauge X 124mm (4-7/8 inches)] were produced.  The cigar on hand today is one that is highly sought after by cigar aficionados because of its scarcity and aging potential.

Habanos produced three regional editions for the Asia Pacific region, the Robusto was the first.  Here are the other two:

2008 The Belicoso Extra followed.  50 ring gauge X140 mm (5-1/2 inches), 7400 cigars produced.

2010 The Encantado.  43 ring gauge X 170 mm (6-3/4 inches), 4000 produced.

Habanos S.A. has been very aggressive in putting out Por Larrañaga Regional Editions, releasing 17 of them between 2006 and 2017.

Here is a complete list of the Por Larrañaga Regional editions:

2006 – Lonsdale Edicion Regional Alemania

2007 – Robustos de Larrañaga Edicion Regional Asia Pacifico

2007 – Magnificos Edicion Regional Reino Unido

2008 – Belicosos Extra Edicion Regional Asia Pacifico

2009 – Los Andes Edicion Regional Peru & Andino B.P.E.

2009 – Valiosos Edicion Regional Suiza

2009 – Robusto Superior Edicion Regional Andorra

2010 – Robusto Edicion Regional Alemania

2010 – Encantos Edicion Regional Asia Pacifico

2010 – Regalias de Londres Edicion Regional Reino Unido

2012 – Legendarios Edicion Regional España

2012 – Small Robusto Edicion Regional Italia

2013 – Secretos Edicion Regional España

2014 – Sobresalientes Edicion Regional Grand Bretaña

2015 – Opera Edicion Regional Francia

2017 – Gran Robusto Edicion Regional Paises Bajos

2017 – Corona Edicion Regional 5ta Avenida

Also worth noting is that the Regional editions’ Por Larrañaga band is not the usual mat gold finish, but rather a shiny one.  I have had the good fortune of smoking the 2013 Italian regional small robusto and it was spectacular.  Let’s hope that this regional will not disappoint me. There is only one way to find out!

Light up!

I used a wide punch cut on this cigar as I was looking forward to tasting the actual leaf, and found that the cold draw was a little musty. With good reason I guess as the cigar had been sitting quietly for the past 13 years. Its appearance was a tad pale showing a very light plume on it. The cigar also tightened up a bit as aged cigars usually do.  I was also worried about the draw since this cigar was sitting around for a while.  Surprisingly, there was no draw issue and the foot took flame effortlessly.  The first puff or two came on a little strong.  However, after a few puffs, the cigar settled into classic Por Larrañaga flavors: light, sweet, creamy almond with slight toasty notes that settled onto the palate and stayed.

There was no real evolution halfway through the cigar except for some light tobacco notes coming through the creamy almond flavor.  It is a bit of an oddity in an aged cigar because they usually tend to develop more subtle nuances which add to the complexity of the cigar.  This does not reflect that this cigar is not enjoyable as is; but, in my opinion, my only slight disappointment with this stick.

The cigar holds a steady course in its evolution by remaining subdued, while the consistency of this cigar was pleasant nonetheless and made for good company.  I paired this cigar with a whiskey highball, but I can definitely see a Mojito or Manhattan accompanying this stick nicely.  If you are lucky enough to find this stick at your favorite shop, snatch it up.  You will not regret it!