I was able to catch up with Rick Rodriguez and his daughter, Sara, while visiting the West Tampa Tobacco booth at the 2025 PCA Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans, LA. During our conversation he showed off the Dark Time as the company’s first $30.00 cigar. This was obviously something that they were both very proud of. The presentation, the box, and the double guillotine cutter inspired by a Rolex all pointed to something different from West Tampa. It is certainly a departure from their eco-friendly boxes used for the Circle of Life. Then comes the blend. A US broadleaf wrapper, over an Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Can the Dark Time’s blend deliver on the luxury look and price?

OVERVIEW

VITOLA: Toro
SIZE: 6″ x 54

ORIGIN: Nicaragua
FACTORY: Nicaragua American Cigars S.A.

WRAPPER: American Broadleaf
BINDER: Ecuadorian Sumatra
FILLER: Dominican and Nicaraguan

STRENGTH: Medium – Full

SOURCE:
Small Batch Cigar

ENVIRONMENT

WHERE:
Studio/Lounge

WHEN:
October 22 @2pm

DRINKS:
Bottled Water

WEATHER:
Indoors

HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
3

PRODUCTION

RELEASE TYPE Limited Edition

ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE [une ’25

TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Boxes of 10
Production Totals: 25,000 total cigars

VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Toro (6″ x 54)

BAND DESIGN

The band has, what I would consider, a modern look to it. Silver background with black lines and a “burst” design, with the West Tampa logo in the center. The back of the band sees an almost whimsical design with another, much smaller, West Tampa logo. Will the bands stand out in a crowded humidor? Maybe not, but that’s not the point. The high-end look of the Dark Time bands compliment the rest of the presentation: a large, high gloss finished box, that includes a double guillotine cutter. The Dark Time has the look and feel of a high end, luxury product.

PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS

CONSTRUCTION

The broadleaf wrapper is a dark shade of chocolate brown. In fact, it’s almost dark enough to be an oscuro. Each cigar was the same: dark, rough to the touch, toothy, a bit mottled, and with more veins and bumps on it than any other cigar in recent memory. I would say it’s a very rustic looking wrapper. The first Dark Time that I smoked had a bit of a soft spot just below the shoulder of the cigar. The others had no obvious soft or hard spots.

AROMA

The dark broadleaf wrapper has notes of sweet tobacco, hay, fruit, and a musty note that I can’t quite place. There might also be a hint of wood. Honestly, the notes are kind of difficult to find on the wrapper. The foot gives up similar notes of fruit, barnyard, tobacco, and earth.

COLD DRAW

The cold draw reveals notes of chocolate covered cherry, baking spices, and nuts. There is a floral note in there, as well. The chocolate and fruit notes are strong and easily detectable. The draw itself is a bit on the open side.

SMOKING EXPERIENCE

LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Le Petit by Les Fines Lames
Fire: Vector Icon II

The initial light gives big notes of caramel, coffee, fruit, and earth. It’s a complex and surprising amount of flavors to start. A bright fruit note lingers on my palate. Chocolate finds it’s way in, too. Now earth. Black pepper on the retrohale.

SMOKE

The smoke is plentiful but feels a bit thin. It does coat my palate, but I wish it was more thick and chewy.

FIRST THIRD
>> Chocolate, Cherry, Wood, Black Pepper

The first third begins with notes chocolate, fruit, salted nuts, and baking spices. Hints of leather, wood, and sweet cream all come and go. Black pepper rules the retrohale. There’s a brightness on the retrohale…citrus? The ash is less than compact, with flakes everywhere. The burn is uneven at best, and at worst it has more ups and downs than a roller coaster. However, it does seem to even out with each draw. Regardless, the ash is more of an issue than the burn line. Chocolate, a cherry type fruit note, lemon, white pepper now, and hint of earth, wood, and leather. The first third is firmly in the medium body category.

SECOND THIRD
>> Vegetal, Chocolate, Citrus, Baking Spices

A vegetal note announces the transition to the middle third. It stands out as it doesn’t really fit with the sweetness the first third had going on. Earth and mineral immediately stand out. It’s kind of like salted rocks…not that I know what that would taste like. Baking spices on the retrohale. Citrus and wood linger on my palate. The ash seems to have gained some cohesion, though there are still a few stray flakes. The burn is now uneven, but at least it isn’t wonky. The smoke is still on the dry side, but plentiful. A creamy chocolate note that reminds me of a chocolate mousse is doing the heavy lifting now. Baking spices, citrus, dry roasted nuts, and earth all play back up. The fruit note from the first third is long gone, replaced by a minerality. The more I get into the middle third, the more I like it. The milk chocolate sweetness starts to balance out the earth and mineral notes. It’s all complimented by the citrus.

FINAL THIRD
>> Charred Wood, Red Pepper, Espresso, Black Pepper

The final third begins with notes of charred wood, coffee, butter, green pepper, and a savory umami. It’s almost a bit beefy. Red pepper scratches at the back of my throat. Leather and wood linger on my palate. Big notes of black pepper on the retrohale. The burn continues to be uneven. Espresso and wood dominate with dark chocolate, earth, and pepper drifting in and out. The flavors are not all in your face, they ebb and flow and are almost elegant. Mocha, red pepper, leather, earth, salted butter are all wrapped in the black pepper from the retrohale. A touch of citrus…or maybe fruit…also places hide and seek on my palate. There’s a buttered popcorn now with earth and pepper and bit of spice that starts to come through. The Dark Time ends with some great full bodied flavors of chocolate, espresso, wood, and pepper.

RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS

FLAVOR PROGRESSION

I really enjoyed the flavors that the Dark Time offered up: Chocolate, wood, spices, pepper, earth, leather. While each third was well defined and had good transitions, I felt that the Dark Time was holding back. It lacked the nuance that I expect from an ultra-premium cigar (and a $30.00 cigar is an ultra-premium cigar). The Dark Time was a complex experience, but it was still very straightforward when it came to flavors.

BURN EXPERIENCE

The burn was disappointing. Was it the most egregious construction I’ve encountered? No; however, I expected more for the price point. Even the smoke was thin. Everything about the Dark Time’s presentation screams “LUXURY!” But the wrapper, the burn, and even the smoke did not meet my expectations.

RATING BREAKDOWN
0.80 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.35 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
7.00 / 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.30 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment

COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES

LOST IN DARK TIME.

The first question I know I’ going to be asked is, “Is it worth $30.00?” No. Is it a very good cigar? Yes. Did the price point work against it? Probably. The burn was just always wonky…like a roller coaster that you constantly just wanted off of, but never slowed down. The American broadleaf wrapper just didn’t deliver on the overall feel that the Dark Time conveyed with its presentation. Now that my critiques are out of the way… The only question you should ask yourself is, “Is this worth smoking?” Yes. Without a doubt, yes! It’s a very good cigar. The flavors are there in balanced proportions. They flow together nicely and left me, honestly, wanting to smoke another. The cool Rolex inspired cutter didn’t hurt, either.

SIMPLY STOGIES RATING: 8.95 / 10.0

Cigar Review: Dark Time by West Tampa Tobacco Co