Brand: Eros
Shape: Robusto
Tobacco Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Sumatra
Body: Medium

Eros Robusto Sumatra

Description: This was a cigar that I had very low hopes for. In my experience, the Thompson brands have been low in quality and lower in taste for the most part. On top of that, I had never heard of this brand of cigar before, and because of this, I prejudged it rather harshly. The truth of the matter is that it was a very classy cigar, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The wrapper of the cigar is beautiful, if a little rough. I chose a V-Cut on this cigar... I've been liking those lately. It's also considerably darker than your average Natural wrapper. I was so surprised by the color in fact, that I double checked the wrapper online. It was in fact a Natural. I smelled this cigar, because this scent will sometimes indicate the nature of the cigar. This cigar offered a strong peppermint flavor. I was so shocked at this discovery that I had an asthmatic friend of mine take a whiff of it too. He concurred: it smelled strongly of peppermint. It was at this point that I knew I was in for a ride.

Right off the bat, I was given the pleasant surprise as I tasted a tobacco that was very much like a cherry aromatic pipe tobacco. This flavor quickly faded, though lasted in the background for quite some time after. The flavors that became apparent thereafter was the peppermint I noted on the prelight, with strong notes of the cherry aromatic and chocolate. Halfway through the cigar, indeed almost exactly halfway, the flavor changed again, and dramatically. This time, all flavors previously present were replaced with a barbecue of flavors. I'm not being cute, it actually tasted quite a lot like barbecue sauce, on juicy, rare short ribs. There was also a chalky undertone that reminded me of the briquettes used in a grill.

All in all, a fun, and exciting smoke. I recommend this highly, especially considering the cost, which is little to naught, and also considering the wide variety of flavors the cigar presented.

Ratings:
Appearance and Construction: 13/15
Flavor: 24/25
Smoking Characteristics: 23/25
Overall: 15/20
Value: 14/15
Total: 89/100
Smoking Time: 1 hr.
Price: $69.95 for a box of 25 (or $3.80 per cigar) at Thompson Cigar.