I’ve alway believed that there is a place in the premium cigar world for well-crafted, shorter cigars. Whether you live someplace where the winter winds cut right through your bones or if (like me) you dread the hot Texas summers knowing that your fucking face is going to fucking melt off the second you step outside, we all still desperately want to smoke our stogies year round. So during those unbearable months of either red hot misery or ice cold depression, a flavorful and sturdy shorter cigar that we can enjoy in under an hour until we’re forced to flee back inside our homes can be quite a handy thing to have in your humidor. Cigarillos and small cigars can extinguish a quick craving, but what about when you want something more yet time is a factor? In the past I’ve cut cigars in half; however, that almost always leads to wrappers issues and you’re absolutely mangling the blender’s intent. If only a cigar company was willing to take care of all of this for you…
THE CIGAR – ROXY NATURAL by L’ATELIER IMPORTS
Size: 3 1/2 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sancti Spiritus
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $7.20 (While these samples were purchased for review, you can head over to Famous Smoke Shop and use promo code TNCC20 to get $20 off your purchase of $100 or more. And Roxy boxes are currently on sale!)
The unlit Roxy Natural exudes aromas of soft leather and sweetness, especially when sniffing the foot of the cigar directly. The wrapper leaf is dark and features some slight surface oils. Random observation: The Roxy is equal in length to my middle finger.
After experiencing a cold draw comprised of faint baking chocolate and dry hay, it’s time to punch the cap and get this (brief) party started. Bold mesquite and a black pepper zing floods my nostrils immediately upon ignition, with the draw delivering flavors of cedar and that muted leather which was alluded to prior to torching the foot. One side of the burn line is racing along faster than the others so I perform a quick correction with my lighter and hope that action sets things straight. Normally I’d give a cigar more time to correct things itself but when you’re dealing with 3.5 inches there’s no time for patience or it’ll be over and done before you know it. And, yes, that’s what she said.
Fortunately, my attempt to correct the burn line was successful and the Roxy Natural is now burning straight with an easy draw. So no harm, no foul. As the cigar begins its slow approach to the band, all the flavors are working well together resulting in a very smooth overall profile. Pleasant spice and woodsiness via the retrohale upstairs while inviting flavors of cedar and leather continue to dominate the draw. Around the fifty yard line, two new flavors, vanilla creamer and a floral note, begin to present themselves through the nose. While vanilla coffee creamer and a floral element might not appear on paper to be flavors that would necessarily work well together, I’m happy to report that they do. These two new additions also knock the mesquite out of the picture entirely.
Many years ago, I paired an original L’Atelier with a glass of Oregon pinot noir and it was a truly memorable combination. The cigar and wine balanced each other beautifully, it was truly one of those smoking experiences that etches its memory in your brain.
As a highly-respected, professional cigar reviewer, I don’t allow myself a beverage while analyzing these majestic tobacco tubes so there’s no wine for me until the last word is typed. I somehow fight the urge to end the review right now and get drunk. Hero? Well, that’s not necessarily for me to say… but yes. An odd anomaly suddenly occurs, whereas a small hole starts burning through the wrapper leaf just below the burn line.
I’ve only had this happen to me a handful of times over the years. Luckily, because of the hole’s close proximity to the burn line, the burn absorbs it very quickly and the Roxy Natural continues right along as if nothing happened. And if I was drinking wine, I most likely wouldn’t have noticed that it happed. No harm, no foul.
Over the course of the Roxy’s final act, the retro is now completely focused on the pleasant pepper spice and floral aspects as well as a developing Nica mineral note. The vanilla cream and mesquite have vanished. The draw continues along its steady path with clearly-defined cedar and leather coming through in equal amounts. The impressive dark grey ash finally drops of its own volition with only a few puffs remaining.
THE NUB
FINAL TNCC SCORE = 92
The L’Atelier Roxy Natural delivers a brief* but highly rewarding 52 minute smoking experience. The Roxy Natural is a complex little cigar with nice transitions and a smooth overall flavor profile that will leave you wanting to fire up another one as soon as possible. With a generously poured glass of red, of course. Why the hell not? You’re most likely not a highly-respected, professional cigar reviewer and you probably deserve it. So light up, drink up, and enjoy your evening.
* I don’t consider myself a slow smoker by anyone’s definition and this petite cigar lasted just as long, if not longer, than several slightly larger sizes I’ve reviewed recently. This makes the sub $8 price point even more attractive, an actual value nowadays. So good things can indeed come in little packages. And, yes, that’s what he said.
