The Rojas 10th Anniversary celebrates the American dream achieved by Noel Rojas. Noel Rojas left Cuba in the middle of the night on a homemade raft that would take him to Mexico where he would make the journey as a Cuban immigrant to the United States.
I first met him when I lived in Miami at a cigar shop owned by Nestor Miranda and his son-in-law Jason Wood. It was here we would develop a friendship with his broken English and my broken Spanish over cigars with some translation provided by a clerk at the store who would go on to be known as Luna Star, an adult film star.
Noel always wanted to be a cigar maker. His passion once led to his arrest in Cuba for selling cigars and he would eventually make his way to Texas making cigars and giving himself the moniker of the King of Small Ring Gauge Cigars. He would hit the mainstream with the release of Street Taco and in 2023 he would open a large cigar factory in Esteli where he has the capability to produce 3 million cigars a year.
The Rojas 10th Anniversary is available in one size which is a traditional Toro size and only 3,500 boxes of 10 have been produced.
Cigar Review: Rojas 10th Anniversary
Size: 6 x 50 (Toro)
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Fillers: Nicaragua
Factory: Rojas Cigar Factory
Release Date: March, 2024
Box Count: 10
The Look: Packaged in a 10 count box with a picture of Noel Rojas inside the box the cigar features a dual purple band. The first is the stylish looking R denoting the brand Rojas and a secondary brand denotes 10th Anniversary.The foot of the cigar is partially closed with one of the toothiest wrappers in recent memory. It’s a densely packed cigar with no voids of tobacco and a nice weight to it.
The Notes: The aroma coming from the wrapper and foot is deliciously bold with notes of black cherry, roasted nuts and an abundance of earth. That earth continues over to the cold draw where it provides a canvas for black cherry and espresso notes. Once the cigar is toasted and lit there are notes of dark chocolate, graham and marshmallows.
In the first third the notes of s’mores with an overly toasted marshmallow continue as notes of dark espresso begin to develop slowly. About an inch in the cigar becomes nutty with notes of dark chocolate, espresso and a subtle black cherry. The retrohale has a subtle pepper to it with additional notes of dark cacao.
Moving into the second third of the Rojas 10th Anniversary notes of black cherry become a little more dominant with continued nots of dark chocolate and espresso. Elements of earth begin to increase as well as the nuttiness on this incredibly flavored smoke. As we remove the secondary band a subtle raisin sweetness begins to develop. The retrohale has a subtle spice to it with chocolate sweetness and a leathery finish.
As we enter the final third there is a nice mix of sweet and earthy creating a wonderful contrast. Sitting outside with the missus caused her to comment on how great the aroma was on the cigar. The palate saw notes of earth, chocolate and continued nuttiness while the retrohale added espresso with a slightly nutty finish.
Conclusion: It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years in the industry for Noel Rojas. His growing success is testament that the American dream is alive and well with hard work paying off for those that want to put in the effort. Noel came here with nothing but the shirt on his back and has obtained success doing something he loves.
The Rojas 10th Anniversary is a medium-full bodied cigar that is complex and flavorful. My only knock is that this is a limited edition cigar. Due to the limited nature I would highly recommend going out and purchasing multiple boxes. It is perhaps his best cigar to date and one you should not miss.
Score: 96
Price: $15.00 (Before any local & state taxes)
