It's impossible for me to review the "Siempre Rosado" by Dapper Cigar Co., and not compare it to the brand's sun-grown "La Madrina" blend. 

Both of these blends feature such striking similarities, and distinct differences, that it almost feels like they should be smoked back-to-back. Or better yet, simultaneously...

But having exhausted almost all of my sample stick stock from PCA 2023, I must rely upon what I do have on hand. Which is one last dance with Dapper before the stroke of midnight, and what might just possibly be the best blend they stock in their portfolio... 

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Unlit Impressions

Mottled to the point of being labeled as unappealing, the sample stick I saved for my review was a bit of an ugly duckling. While the other stick I burned a couple of months back was far more uniform in color, it too had discoloration in some areas. All but in lesser amounts.

Dapper overcomes these unappetizing attributes by packing the cigar fuller than a shopping cart on the week of Thanksgiving. Flawlessly formed, and virtually seamless, this cigar is all NACSA grade all the way, and cold pulls illustrate that it is guaranteed to draw.

Although the mouth detects dried dark cherries, tropical topsoil, both black and white pepper, and a distinct mineral taste, the aroma of the cigar is much more mellow. The barrel is faintly leather-like and sun-grown rosado tobacco spice-oriented, with the foot being more on the darker, cocoa-dusted coffee bean and deeper, earthier end.

Initial Smoke    

"Poof. There go my taste buds."

These were my first thoughts both times I lit one of these cigars up. This blend is intensely pepper-packed at first light, with a dried jalapeno seed heat burning faintly behind all of the leather and tobacco bites. 

1st Half   

Reaching a stride takes a hot minute, but when it does you will find that this stick slowly but surely dials back the spicy heat in favor of a very full, deeply satisfying, smoke-filled start. The spice is still there, but other flavors and sensations have become more prominent, so it all feels more balanced.

The earthiness of that ground-cover topography starts to share the reins with dark molasses bread at this point, simultaneously leading all of those leather and spiced rosado tastes down an equally adventures path. That mineral note seems to build as you go too, and is neither salty nor off-putting. It just is.

2nd Half     

There's great pleasure to be found in the center of this cigar, and afterward as well. All those spicy notes from earlier are overcome by deep rosado richness and a balanced blend of dried wood and leather.

Chewy folds of dense smoke come filled with more dark dried cherry notes and pecan halves, making for what I found to be far more of a full body and finish, than one loaded with strength. 

This cigar flavor profile stands out as one that is big, but without being a complete bruiser. It's more of a gentle giant than a juggernaut, and I like that a lot in a full cigar.

Parting Puffs       

I smoked both samples all the way down to the point where my fingerprints began to burn off due to the heat. This is a cigar that seems to grow smoother and drier as it goes and is therefore very difficult to put down.

And even though there is far more toasty dryness than sweetness or darker, oilier tastes, this is a small price to pay for such a delightful dash of parting puffs.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw   

A dropped ash in the first third of the review cigar was the only issue I had with either of the sticks I smoked. Dapper continues to rock when it comes to construction, and not once did I feel like I need my lighter, or that the cigar was burning too quickly or too hot. 

Final Thoughts  

The only thing I felt was amiss with this blend was its mottled appearance and the fact that it started off with an overly sharp intro. That, and there not being much in the way of sweetness to the blend, which I feel could have added another level of complexity to the cigar flavor profile. 

Still, all smile potatoes when looking at the greater picture. The "Siempre Rosado" continues to outscore the far more multilayered "La Madrina" in both enjoyability and smoothness. Even if both blends seem strikingly similar in regard to their ingredients. 

Cigar Stats