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Staff Review: Cavalier Geneve Black Series II Robusto

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Introduction:

With today’s review, we will take a deep dive into Cavalier Geneve’s Black Series II Robusto. Cavalier Geneve is quickly becoming one of the most recognizable boutique brands with their unmistakable look and unique blends.

Feel free to skim the quick hits for an overview or jump into any section below to find the full details of Cavalier Geneve Black Series II. Let’s do this!

The Quick Hits:

  • The third line from Cavalier Geneve and the first box pressed cigar from the company
  • Main tasting notes of earth, leather, and dark chocolate
  • Recommended for: fans of Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro, Foundation The Wise Man Maduro, La Aroma De Cuba Reserva
  • At only $8.50 per cigar, Black Series II Robusto is a great candidate to keep in your regular rotation

The Story:

Cavalier Geneve was founded by Sebastien Decoppet, a native of Switzerland who spent time in his early 20’s living in Danli, Honduras, where he learned the intricacies of the cigar industry from industry veterans like the Plasencia family and Adin Perez (just to name a couple).

Cavalier Geneve made their debut in the European market, and relatively quickly thereafter in 2016, entered a distribution agreement that allowed their products to be introduced to the U.S. market – something that would naturally help the growth and long-term maturity of the brand significantly.

Fast forward to 2017 where Cavalier Geneve’s newest line, Black Series II, was announced at IPCPR – a completely new blend which paid tribute to Tabak Rhein, a Switzerland-based retailer that Cavalier Geneve acquired earlier in the year. Since its initial release, Black Series II has become one of the most popular offerings from the brand, and for good reason.

The Build:

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Cavalier Geneve’s Black Series II, at its core, was blended to deliver a classic, old-school maduro experience, to a new generation of cigar consumers. Featuring a dark San Andres wrapper, a habano binder from Nicaragua, and a rich blend of Nicaraguan long fillers, Black Series II offers a savory and complex flavor profile with a controlled, yet noticeable amount of strength that makes it perfect for any time of the day.

The Look:

Despite the obvious high-quality of all Cavalier Geneve’s blends, the distinct look and design of the brand is undoubtedly where they stand out the most. In fact, I’m inclined to say that Cavalier Geneve’s gold diamond makes them one of the most recognizable brands on the market – something that goes an awfully long way when trying to grow a brand.

As distinct as Cavalier Geneve’s gold diamond is on their White Series, in my opinion it stands out even more as its laid over top of the dark San Andres wrapper of Black Series II. Underneath the gold diamond is a thin and tasteful black band featuring the brand’s logo of “the horse and the man” in the center, with “Cavalier Geneve” to its left, and “Rhein 1905” to its right – a reference to Tabak Rhein, the oldest tobacconist in Geneva.

Black Series II’s box follows the simplicity of the band – a solid black box with “Cavalier Geneve” screen printed across the top in white, and the familiar “the horse and the man” logo across the front of the box.

The overall design of Cavalier Geneve Black Series II is simple, but even more important, it’s recognizable, distinct, and original. I’ve said it before, so maybe I’ll sound like a broken record, but sometimes less is more.

The Experience:

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The first Cavalier Geneve blend I ever smoked was BII - Viso Jalapa, which eventually turned into one of absolute favorite blends in all of cigars. Next for me was White Series, which I smoke at least once a week (I am not exaggerating). Not to mention all their LE releases which I buy a box of every year. I say this with the intent of communicating how impressed I have been with all their blends, so for me, Black Series II (the last blend I smoked from Cavalier Geneve’s portfolio) had pretty big shoes to fill.

Spoiler alert: Black Series II lived up to my admittedly inflated expectations.

The first third started out with a notable amount of earth, dark chocolate, and burnt toast that was highlighted by a moderate amount of black pepper on the finish. A slight sweetness on the retrohale complemented the richness of the earth and dark chocolate, and the medium to full-bodied nicotine strength of the blend.

Transitioning into the second third, the introduction of background notes of sweet espresso and cedar only amplified the richness of the earth, dark chocolate, and black pepper that were apparent throughout the cigar’s entirety. Aside from the balanced flavor profile, and in my opinion, the perfect amount of complementary strength, it was easy to see how well-constructed the cigar was - a razor-sharp burn with a draw that had just the right amount of give.

The final third of Cavalier Geneve Black Series II saw a relatively slight but expected increase in strength that highlighted the added amount of black pepper and sweetness on the retrohale. The earth and dark chocolate were still in the forefront while the cedar and espresso took somewhat of a backseat. For those of you who have never smoked a Cavalier Geneve blend before, I just want to point out that it is quite a unique sight to see the cigar and its ash as it burns through the gold diamond on the wrapper.

I would love to say that Black Series II exceeded my expectations, but as I mentioned before, based on my experience with Cavalier Geneve’s other blends I was expecting a LOT from this cigar. So, what I can say is that Black Series II is just as good as any of the brand’s other blends and to put it in perspective, those blends are nothing short of exceptional.

The Value:

If I didn’t know the price of this cigar ahead of time, I wouldn’t have batted an eye if you told me that it was a $10.00+ cigar. Now, with that said, considering Black Series II Robusto is only $8.50 per cigar you can consider it a bargain and a cigar that’s absolutely worth taking a flyer on – there is nothing not to like about this cigar.

Final Thoughts:

Cavalier Geneve has impressed me year after year, release after release, and I was admittedly a little nervous that Black Series II wasn’t going to live up to my high expectations based on my experience with the brand. When I think about it now, it seems ridiculous to have expected anything less from Cavalier Geneve, but you live, and you learn I suppose.

Black Series II is arguably one of the best bangs for your buck in cigars right now, and would recommend it for anyway who enjoys medium to full-bodied maduros that are rich in flavor, perfectly constructed, and visually beautiful (basically everyone).

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