My Father Le Bijou 1922 Petit Robusto Review

The Petit Robusto is the short size of My Father's Le Bijou 1922 - a compact 4.5 by 50 of the 100% Nicaraguan puro that won Cigar of the Year honors. The shortest, quickest way into a blend usually smoked in longer sizes. Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro wrapper, Nicaraguan guts, the family pigtail cap. The wrapper is oily and near-black, seams tight. My cold draw pulled dark cocoa and a dark-cherry note. This is Le Bijou's celebrated power packed into a smoke you can finish in under an hour.

It opens full and rich immediately - dark cocoa, espresso, black pepper, and the signature dark-cherry sweetness that sets Le Bijou apart. The short petit robusto has no long runway, so the award-winning power arrives fast and concentrated. The pigtail clipped clean, the draw firm in the best way, burn a straight line. Where the Churchill and Toro stretch this blend over an evening, the Petit Robusto delivers the whole rich character up front. A commanding, cocoa-and-cherry start.

The middle is concentrated Le Bijou depth. Dark cocoa and espresso pack in tight, the dark-cherry sweetness threading through the black pepper, a leathery core building - all the award-winning richness delivered over about forty-five minutes rather than the Churchill's ninety. The short format intensifies rather than dilutes, the Nicaraguan puro rich and the construction flawless. My ash held a tight column, burn immaculate. This is the celebrated blend concentrated - full power and that signature cherry note in a compact smoke.

The final third deepens the cocoa, espresso, pepper and dark cherry over roughly forty-five minutes total, full-bodied and smooth to the nub. My verdict: the Petit Robusto is Le Bijou's award-winning power in under an hour - the quick way into a celebrated blend. Honest notes: it's genuinely full and rich, not a mild smoke, the firm draw wants a clean cut, and the short format front-loads the power with less gradual development. But for the Le Bijou character when time is tight, it's superb.