Don Rafa Sweets – Coconut Rum

Cigar Reviewed: Don Rafa coconut rum infused

Smoked at: St. Charles

Don Rafa Sweets – Coconut Rum 6.5/10

I’m usually a Drew Estate guy when it comes to sweet and infused cigars, so the Don Rafa Sweets Coconut Rum was an interesting one for me to try. Definitely something different from what I normally reach for.

Right from the start, you get a noticeable sweet coconut flavor with a creamy rum-like sweetness. There’s no mistaking that this is an infused cigar. The coconut comes through pretty well on the regular draw, along with that sweetness and rum character.

The retrohale is actually a little different. I don't really get much of the sweetness or coconut there. Instead, the rum/liquor flavor becomes much more noticeable. It's almost like the sweetness disappears and you're left with that stronger rum character. Kind of interesting and definitely something different.

One of the biggest things I noticed is just how heavily infused and moist this cigar feels. Honestly, it almost feels drenched. The draw was a little harder and tighter than I normally prefer, and I think some of that comes from how much moisture and infusion the cigar is holding.

Surprisingly, though, it's still burning pretty well. The burn has remained relatively consistent, the ash has held together nicely, and I haven't had much trouble keeping it going considering how saturated the cigar feels.

There is also a slight chemical/artificial taste that shows up occasionally. It doesn't completely ruin the experience, but it's noticeable. That's one area where I still prefer how Drew Estate handles many of its infused cigars. The Don Rafa feels much heavier on the actual infusion.

A little history behind the cigar: Don Rafa traces its roots back to Rafael “Don Rafa” Jaca and the early 1990s. The Don Rafa Sweets line is produced in Nicaragua and comes in a pretty large selection of infused flavors, with Coconut Rum being one of their more tropical offerings.

One thing I personally wouldn't do is put this cigar in my regular humidor. The Coconut Rum aroma is extremely strong, and with how drenched and heavily infused the cigar feels, I'd be concerned about that aroma and flavor eventually transferring into my other cigars.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't even leave it sitting for very long in the infused section of my humidor. The smell is strong enough that I could see it overpowering some of the other infused cigars around it. With how moist the cigar feels, I also wouldn't want to introduce it into a humidor where I already have the humidity balanced where I want it.

For me, this is more of a random pick-up-and-smoke cigar. Buy one when I'm in the mood for something sweet and completely different, smoke it, enjoy it, and that's about it. I wouldn't necessarily buy a box or stock the humidor with them, but I could absolutely see myself randomly grabbing another one.

Overall, the sweet coconut, rum character, decent burn, and unusual retrohale made it an interesting experience. The tighter draw, heavy saturation, and occasional chemical note bring the score down for me, but I still enjoyed it for what it was.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

Not replacing my Drew Estate anytime soon, but for a random sweet smoke when I want something different, I'd smoke another one.