Cigar Reveal #171

Rojas Cigars
Street Tacos Barbacoa

It's a growing trend to just go ahead and name the cigar after what the flavor notes are meaning (or hoping) to be! So bold are the fellas at Rojas Cigars to just go ahead and call their cigar the Street Tacos Barbacoa. Not only that, but we introduce to you an exclusive Churchill 7x50 size only for S+T members! Having lived in Nicaragua and handed out many a Cordoba for this very meal, I don't take the comparison lightly, and am pleased to say... yea, I can definitely see it. Less so the pork flavors but the oak, cedar and cinnamon, among other sweet spices that can be found in this cigar certainly evoke memories of dear old abuelitas handing over 3 street tacos on paper plates. To name it Street Tacos was an audacious move, but in the end I have to give them credit, I may have yet to smoke a cigar so close to what it's meant to be. But you decide for yourself... it's your standard after all!

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Street Tacos Barbacoa
Anatomy

  • Nicaragua

  • Nicaragua

  • Ecuador (Sumatra)

Street Tacos Barbacoa
Flavor Notes

First Third

Dry Oak

White Pepper

Earth

Dry Oak

White Pepper

Earth

Second Third

Dry Oak

Espresso

Cinnamon

Dry Oak

Espresso

Cinnamon

Final Third

Cedar

Red Chili Pepper

Earth

Cedar

Red Chili Pepper

Earth

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Reviews + Notes

Halfwheel

One of the things I have often taken issue with when it comes to cigar names is the immediate memories and influences that they can immediately call to mind, and thus set the tone for the cigar. I don't know how fixed into your mind the flavor of a barbacoa street taco is, but I'd like to think I have a fairly decent frame of reference for them, and as such the Rojas Street Tacos Barbacoa Robusto has some level of expectation to meet. The cigar—on its own and with no comparison to tacos—does quite well. First, construction is near perfect across all the samples. The flavor has some ebbs and flows, and my memories of it will be the journey between points of a fairly dry woodiness and a more lush, rich meatiness that incorporates spices, seasonings and pepper into something that easily draws comparisons to some Mexican foods. It's the spots between those two mileposts where the cigar doesn't quite perform as well, losing its complexity and seeing the body get a bit out of touch with the profile. However, if you enjoy a cigar with some distinct high marks, as well as one that will expose you to one of Nicaragua's lesser-known tobacco producing regions, this is one worth trying as it delivers not only an enjoyable profile but a pretty good bang for the buck.

Kohnhed

Purely delightful first third. A warmup for good things to come. No big change in the flavor profile. Sticking with the original flavor list. But the character improves with each puff. Nice balance. Interesting bits of flotsam and jetsam fly by my palate like girls ran past me in high school. I absolutely love the gentle touch of the spiciness. This is in my wheelhouse. The stick is becoming intense with the complex nature of the blend. 

CigarScore

Overall, the construction of the Rojas Street Tacos Barbacoa Short Corona was absolutely perfect. The draw was great and provided plenty of smoke. The burn was almost razor-sharp. Regarding the flavors, they were fairly mild to medium but with blasts of spice. Good construction. Flavors you might love. And a price point that’s fantastic. The Rojas Street Tacos Barbacoa earns a CigarScore 5.