An Extra From Azan

Roberto Pelayo Duran has a long career in the cigar industry, partly in production and partly with the distribution organization of Cubatabaco, the Cuban state tobacco company.  This distribution organization, Habanos S.A. formed in 1994, controls the promotion, distribution, and export of Cuban cigars and other tobacco products worldwide for Cubatabaco.  In 2000, Altadis purchased a 50% interest in Habanos, perhaps introducing a more capitalistic approach to marketing premium Cuban cigars. As we old smokers remember, Cuban cigars have not been allowed in the US since the 1962 trade embargo was implemented (yes, I was around at that time).

Roberto formed a company called Roberto Duran LLC and developed a new cigar line called Azan. This was introduced in Asia about a year before its US debut at the 2013 IPCPR.  Azan has a White line (premium cigars) and a Burgundy line (every day cigars).  The White line has 3 types – 4 7/8 X 50 robusto, 5 ½ X 52 robusto extra and 5 1/5 X 52 campana.  I was given the robusto extra at the IPCPR for review.

Azan cigars are produced at the Esteli, Nicaragua factory of a “strategic partner” where they are hand rolled and aged in a climate controlled cedar room. The White’s filler is from Nicaragua and Brazil, the binder from Nicaragua, and ends with a Corojo wrapper from Ecuador. The robusto has a simple, understated white band that was as attractive as the cigar. In the construction category, the robusto was quite firm at the cap but loose at the foot. Problem? Only the draw and the burn will tell.

The stick lit well enough but the draw was a little rough and got slightly worse as the stick was smoked.  There was plenty of flavor – mostly pepper and some spice with a hint of cedar, and the flavor intensified as the stick got smaller. The strength was enough for me to consider it more full bodied than medium bodied. It took 40 minutes to smoke and the entire time the foot burned very unevenly, although I never had to relight it.  At $7.5 to $8, I personally would like an easier draw and more even burn. But the flavor is there.