Cigar Review: Caliber 58 Rosado by Miami Cigar & Co.

4" x 58 ring gauge / MSRP $5

When Nestor Miranda visited Burns earlier this year to promote the Dominicano, he brought the Caliber 58 with him as well and I got to try it. "Not bad," I thought. Over the next couple months Burns Manager, Matt, gave me a couple more, each time asking, "Have you tried this one yet?" I finally decided he wanted me to review this cigar, so I saved the last one for that purpose. According to Jason Wood from Miami Cigar & Company, this stick began its life as a private blend that they were going to use only at events. "After several months of constant calls from our customers requesting to buy the promo cigar we decided to go ahead and release it." It is available in 2 vitolas--a torpedo and parejo--both measuring the same 4 inches by 58 ring gauge; it is also available in either rosado or oscuro wrapper and the MSRP for any of these is $5. This cigar is a Nicaraguan puro and I smoked about 3 of them before this review sample.

Simply put, this is another cigar with a "Nub-like" appearance. It was given to me with the cello removed and that is how it rested in my humi for the month or so before I smoked it. Despite that it had an oily appearance and feel. There are some medium-sized veins and some discoloration and mottling, but expecting perfection for $5 is one way to be perpetually disappointed. From the wrapper I got an aroma of hay, but also something sweet--almost a whiff of maple syrup. On the foot I got some dark chocolate notes and a little barnyard. The prelight draw was very good; I got a chocolate flavor mostly, with a little spice. It will be officially autumn as you read this, but it absolutely seemed like it already as I took this stogie outside--a beautiful, sunny and warm day with a dry breeze rattling the leaves of the tall trees across the street and that strange autumn light bathing my mostly-brown lawn.

The initial flavors I got from this large bullet of a cigar were natural tobacco on the tongue and intense pepper spice through the nose. As the first third burned slowly through I experienced mostly the flavor of tobacco with a bit of nuttiness and plenty of spice on the palate and retrohale. The burn line was wavy but did not need to be corrected so far.

After tapping off, the burn was worse than wavy and in danger of flame-out, so I did make a major correction. Really not anything to report as far as flavor changes go in the second third. Mostly just a continuation of the previously established flavors.

And the last third was more of the same really, aside from the increase in heat as the 58 ring burning portion got closer to my face. Overall, I found the Caliber 58 Rosado to not be a bad cigar. It was an enjoyable, medium-to-full bodied stick that was a perfectly adequate way to begin the day for the experienced smoker. The problem I see with this one is its entry into a field of cigars that offer much more flavor and complexity for a similar price (La Traviata, Brick House) or slightly more (PDR 1878, Nub). I would like to smoke the Oscuro again to see if it fares better, but for me, the Rosado is maybe just a couple years too late. If it had arrived at this price 2 or 3 years ago, it may have been somewhat of a revelation, but the price point at which it competes is now very competitive and it is in danger of being lost. Although the price is good as it is, it may have to drop another buck or more to really stand out in today's marketplace.

Body: 7/10

Strength: 6/10

Complexity: 4/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 1.5/2

Construction: 1.5/2

Flavor: 3.5/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 7.5/10

Agree, disagree or have your own thoughts you would like to share on this cigar? Please leave a comment and speak your mind!