OG Guild Robusto [2017]

The Crux OG Guild Robusto is original, pre-rebrand 2017 stock of the Guild blend, complete with the older band. The specs are unchanged from the Guild that launched in May 2016: an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler, rolled at Plasencia Cigars S.A. in Esteli, in a 5 x 50 Robusto. Crux's own rebrand announcement confirms the 2019 refresh changed packaging and branding, not the tobacco, so what you get here is the same medium-to-full blend with years of extra box age behind it.

Dark, dirt-like earth anchors the profile, with coffee and cocoa layered on top. Dark fruit brings a sour-sweet edge, nut and citrus notes brighten the middle, and cinnamon and building spice work through the second half. Cedar and woody tones fill in behind, with sharp black and red pepper hitting strongest on the retrohale.

Well-rested cigars smoke differently, and this is a chance to find out what a few extra years do to a favorite blend. It is a good after-dinner cigar with a bourbon or an espresso. Original-band Guild stock does not get restocked, so when it is gone, it is gone.