Pedro Martin Ruby – Six by Sixty vitola

In 2011, a new boutique/indie line of cigars was launched called “Martin Family of Cigars”.  Specifically, these have become known as the “Pedro Martin Cigars”.  The cigars are named after renowned cigar blender Pedro Martin who recently passed away.  However Pedro’s daughter Maria Martin who was formerly with Camacho has integrated several of her father’s blends into her own venture – the Martin Family of Cigars.  Earlier this year, the Gold Series was released  (a Platinum Series follows).  The Gold Series consists of 3 cigars and the common denominator in this series is use of corojo tobacco.  The fullest of this line is a cigar known as the Pedro Martin Ruby.  The Ruby would prove to be a solid and flavorful release.

2011 has been a big year for corojo tobacco. Some of the highlights for 2011 have included: Viaje Oro Reserva VOR DT, Viaje Platino Reserva VPR DT, Camacho Liberty 2011, La Palina El Diario, A. Turrent Puro Corojo, Punch Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary.   The question would be how would the Pedro Martin Ruby stack up with these releases.  Let’s break down this cigar into more detail:

Blend Profile

The Pedro Martin Ruby sports a near-Colorado colored corojo wrapper.  The official origin of the corojo wrapper is not disclosed.

Wrapper: Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Vitolas Available

The Pedro Martin Ruby is available in seven vitolas:

Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52
Torpedo: 6 1/4 x 52
Churchill: 7 x 48
Six by Sixty: 6 x 60
Pequeno: 4 1/2 x 50
Lancero: 7 1/4 x 38

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Given I usually gravitate toward a big ring gauge cigar, I opted to sample the Six by Sixty vitola.   Given I was smoking a big ring gauge cigar, I defaulted to a straight cut into the cap. The pre-light draw was not very complex as I picked up a good amount of cedar.  At this point, I figured it was time to light up the Pedro Martin Ruby Six by Sixty and see what would come to the table.

Flavor Profile

The initial draws from the Pedro Martin Ruby gave me a heavy dose of cedar to start.  It did not take long before some notes of cinnamon entered the equation.  Early on in the cigar, the cedar transitioned to a more traditonal black pepper spice.

Overall, like the pre-light draw, I did not find the flavor profile of the Pedro Martin Ruby to be very complex, but the flavors I did detect were solid.  The pepper and cinnamon flavors alternated in terms of what was primary throughout the first half of the cigar.  I did detect some raw sugar cane sweetness around the 1/3 point, but it did not sustain much past the halfway point.

The second half of the Pedro Martin Ruby continued the pepper and cinnamon flavors alternating on which flavor was in the forefront.  The nub was soft toward the end, and a bit lukewarm, but there were no harsh notes detected whatsoever at the close of the smoke.  Sometimes the warm, lukewarm finish is the price you pay for smoking a big ring gauge cigar, so I recognize that.

Burn and Draw

The burn of the Pedro Martin Ruby did require some touch-ups to keep the burn even.   The touch-ups seemed to do the trick as there were no other burn issues.  The burn rate was satisfactory and despite the lukewarm finish, for the most part the burn temperature was also satisfactory.  No issues with the draw – this was a well-constructed 6 x 60 ring gauge cigar.

Strength and Body

The Pedro Martin Ruby was described to me as a full strength and full bodied cigar – and I subscribe to this assessment.  This cigar will provide a buzz at the end of it – definitely a full strength cigar from a nicotine standpoint.  While I mentioned the Ruby did not have a lot of complexity from my standpoint, the flavors it did produce were bold and robust – definitely the profile of a full-bodied cigar.  Overall despite being a strong cigar, the strength of the Ruby never overshadows the flavor.

Final Thoughts

As mentioned above the Pedro Martin Ruby Six by Sixty was not a complex one, but a flavorful one.  While some may point to the fact this is a reason why I should not smoke 6 x 60 vitolas, I will point out that there are complex blends with this ring gauge.  Overall, I would recommend the Ruby to an experienced cigar enthusiast as opposed o a novice.  I still think La Palina El Diario and Punch 10th Anniversary Rare Corojo are better corojo wrapper blends released in 2011, but this is not a knock on the Ruby – which is a very good cigar.  I still would smoke this cigar again, but I might be inclined to see if the smaller ring gauge offer more in the way of complexity. 

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Full
Body: Full
Assessment: Nice to Have

Source: This cigars for this assessment were purchased at Halfway to Habana in Anderson, South Carolina.