This cigar review of the Don Pablo Cuban Round Largo is part of a series of reviews on the Top Ten Made in the USA cigars of 2006 For more information, and for more reviews of premium cigars from around the world, check the Cigar Review archive.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas…

…unless what happens is the rolling of some fine cigars. Then, word tends to get around.

Word of mouth is really responsible for the success of Bob Schear’s Don Pablo Cigar Company on the Vegas Strip. Visitors to Las Vegas found their way into the factory store, saw the cigar rolling demonstrations and tried the cigars. They took some back home with them, shared sticks with their friends, and those friends sought out Don Pablo’s when they in turn went to Vegas for business or pleasure.

Saying that things snowballed seems inappropriate considering where the cigar factory is located. One thing you can make book on is that the humidor at Don Pablo’s does not require a dehumidifier.

The story of how Shear got into the cigar business is as unlikely as is finding a premium cigar in the middle of the desert. A smoker since he was 18, he decided to start his own cigar company when he visited Las Vegas back in the early 80’s.

“I came through Vegas on business,” he said, “and I couldn’t find a decent cigar.” With that thought in mind, he interested a friend in filling what he saw as both a need and a tremendous potential market. They opened their factory and store across the street from the Stardust in 1986. Times have been mostly good since then.

In an industry that is dominated by Latin Americans, many with a long family tradition of involvement with the cigar industry in Cuba before emigrating to the United States, the success Bob Schear has enjoyed is a small miracle. It was slow starting, but he now has thousands of customers all over the world. His cigars have even been used in several Hollywood movies, including The Adams Family I & II.

Word of mouth and a quality product win out in the end.

Don Pablo produces some sweetened and liquor-infused cigars for the tourist trade. Those are not the cigars I am talking about in this review. The Don Pablo Vintage cigar line is good, and certainly worth a try, but their regular line is surprisingly good as well and that is what I am going to single out here.

Product quality got a boost from the expertise and knowledge of Cuban master roller Rubin Del Tauro who guided Schear in selection of tobacco, grading and curing. Tobacco for the Don Pablo Vintage cigar line, which is made with tobacco cured for five years, goes through one year of aging at the Las Vegas factory.

Each cigar line that they make has a different blend, with five or six types of tobacco used. Tobaccos chosen come from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico and the United States.

Again, as with all freshly-rolled cigars, you may find that “young” Don Pablos seem harsh and lack refinement. This is true of all cigars of every brand when they have not had a chance to age.

You might want to try one fresh from the roller’s table just for the experience, but I strongly recommend that you lay these aside in a humidor for several weeks to a year before you smoke them. Most people will find them much more satisfying after that rest has mellowed them and allowed the flavors to marry and blend.

The Don Pablo Cuban Round Largo is a full-flavored cigar of medium to full body. It is a 7 1/2 inch by 50 ring Double Corona that is available with either a Connecticut Shade or a Maduro wrapper. I prefer the Maduro, but both are good. Take your pick based on which type of wrapper you prefer.

They advertise them as “Cuban Style Cigars.” Cuban-seed tobacco and Cuban rollers aside, I would not say that this cigar has a Cuban flavor profile. It is, however, very good and very flavorful and stands well on its own merits.

The rollers are Cuban expatriates brought by Schear from Miami. When he started, he set up housing for them and paid a premium to attract them across the country to his Nevada factory. Even so, getting them to leave Little Havana and come to Sin City wasn’t easy. Keeping them in town also isn’t easy.

It has paid off in the end. The prices are not high, especially considering where they are produced and the quality of the smoke for the money. In fact, all things considered these would have to be called Bargain Finds.

A box of 25 Don Pablo Cuban Round Largos cost U.S. $91.50 ordered direct from the Don Pablo website. That works out to $3.66 per cigar for Double Coronas that should take you over one hour to smoke.

Bringing home a box of Don Pablos is a sure way to walk away from Las Vegas a winner.