Five years ago, Curivari and Elogio were the two brands destined to be the next big thing in the cigar world.

For a variety of reasons, that hasn’t happened. While American distribution issues have staggered Curivari’s growth, I’ve gotten the feeling that Elogio is okay not being the next big thing. The brand is owned by Nabil and Rosaline Sabbah and it is made at the Tabacalera La Flor de San Luis S.A. factory in Nicaragua.

Since 2012, the company has released a limited edition known as Excéntrico, with a different size produced each year. At this year’s trade show, the company showed off three new sizes, as well as the Excéntrico No. 2, and announced that the line would now be offered as a regular production item, though in limited production.

  • Elogio Excéntrico No. 2 (6 x 60) — $15 (Boxes of 10, $150)
  • Elogio Excéntrico Serie A (9 1/2 x 47) — $20 (Boxes of 10, $200)
  • Elogio Excéntrico Corona Gorda (6 x 48) — $12 (Boxes of 10, $140)
  • Elogio Excéntrico No. 5 Rosalita (4 x 40) — $8 (Boxes of 10, $80)

It uses the same blend as the original No. 2, meaning an Ecuadorian habano oscuro wrapper, a Nicaraguan habano finder and five different leaves all from Nicaragua: Estelí ligero and viso, Jalapa ligero and seco and viso from Ometepe.

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  • Cigar Reviewed: Elogio Excéntrico No. 5 Rosalita
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: Tabacalera La Flor de San Luis S.A.
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
  • Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
  • Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí, Jalapa & Ometepe)
  • Length: 4 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 40
  • Vitola: Petit Corona
  • MSRP: $8 (Boxes of 10, $80)
  • Release Date: August 2016
  • Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The Rosalita is small, tiny actually—probably the smallest cigar I’ve reviewed in years. There’s a fairly dark wrapper with very little in the way of veins. The cigars, which aren’t packaged in cellophane, have very little in the way of wrapper aroma by the time they arrive in my humidor: just some sweet and acidic leather. It’s not anymore intense on the foot, which is covered, though I do get an added thousand island-like flavor. The cold draw is equally as odd: barbecue, some cucumber, floral flavors and melon.

It begins with some buttered white bread over damp leaves and some earth. That earthiness continues to develop into the first third where it takes over the profile over cedar, oak, wheat cereal, Lucky Charms marshmallows and some charcoal. There’s a bit of harshness and a lesser degree of sweetness, similar to a black rum. I notice the Rosalita is actually more pleasant when the cigar stay a bit hot, which is odd.

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I question whether a traditional third division makes sense as the second third has started roughly 15 minutes into the cigar. The flavor is similar, though there’s some added cornbread and a lot of minerality towards the finish. I don’t want to keep puffing so quick, but like the first third, the profile of the smaller Elogio Excéntrico isn’t great when the cigar rests. A lot of vegetal flavors add to themselves and it turns the cigar into a bitter mess. When puffed quicker, things are a mixture of sweet and toasty, with a bit of a Scotch-like peat developing. Flavor and body are medium-full, while strength is medium-plus.

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The final third sees the toastiness return to a more generic one, retreating from the peat that was there in the middle portion. A woodiness also breaks into the profile along with some sour creaminess that is similar to what I found on the aromas. I make a touch-up on all three samples, largely to keep the cigar burning past the final inch mark. In addition, the draw of the Elogio Excéntrico No. 5 Rosalita tightens a bit.

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Final Notes

  • There’s some lunacy in using the same review format to review this 4 x 40 cigar and the 21-inch monstrosity Patrick Lagreid reviewed earlier this year.
  • I actually bought some extra Rosalitas. It was an easy purchase given that it’s been below 40 of late here in Texas. I smoked one as my final cigar of the night after a few other cigars and some drinks and I found that it was still able to cut through whatever lingering effects were present on my palate. That cigar didn’t factor into my scoring, but it was probably the most enjoyable cigar I smoked.
  • I found that this cigar was best smoked quickly. The unpleasant vegetal note appeared when I took my time and disappeared when I went a bit quicker.
  • Strength is medium-plus throughout.
  • Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
  • Final smoking time, when smoking at my normal pace, was roughly 40 minutes, though I’d probably recommend these to be smoked in a half hour or less.
88 Overall Score

I rarely say this, but this cigar is best smoked fast. The Elogio Excentricó No. 5 Rosalita is an ideal cigar for the bar. Go outside for something flavorful that can cut through a night of drinking without taking too long, here’s a winner. There’s one problem: it’s a bit expensive. At $8, this isn’t a cigar that you want to throw away halfway through. That being said, unlike the Liga Privada Papas Fritas—another cigar that is perfect for the short smoke—this cigar actually is better enjoyed in roughly 20 minutes.

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Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.