Micallef Green Robusto | halfwheel

When it comes to naming cigars, the inspiration comes from seemingly anything and anywhere, whether it be paying tribute to a foundational member of a company to doing something that would fall under the header of parody. One of the more common themes found across cigar companies is a simple one: colors. From the Davidoff White Label to the Tatuaje Brown Label, to J. London’s microbatch Telephone Booth Series, which differentiates releases largely by the color of the sticker on the packs, colors are used for cigar lines throughout the industry.

For Micallef, the company has an entire collection of cigars that make up its Color Series: the Black, Blue, Green, Purple and Red, with two more releases, Orange and White, slated for future release.

The Micallef Green is the most recent release, shipping to stores in early September. It has a blend that uses a Brazilian mata fina wrapper covering a Mexican San Andrés negro binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. Like the other colors, it’s a regular production line that is made at the company’s factory in Nicaragua. It is offered in two sizes:

• Micallef Green Robusto (5 x 52) — $8 (Box of 25, $200)
• Micallef Green Toro (6 x 52) — $9 (Box of 25, $225)

“We didn’t build Micallef Cigars to chase trends or cut corners,” said Al Micallef, founder of Micallef Cigars, in a press release. “We built it to stand shoulder to shoulder with the best. Green is a cigar that delivers flavor and craftsmanship worthy of a $20 price tag, but we sell it for less because we believe great cigars belong in everyday hands. That’s how you build loyalty—and that’s how you win.”

• Cigar Reviewed: Micallef Green Robusto
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Micallef Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Brazil (Mata Fina)
• Binder: Mexico (San Andrés Negro)
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $8 (Box of 25, $200)
• Release Date: September 2025
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

It feels like it’s been some time since I last smoked a robusto, and as such, the Micallef Green Robusto feels like a small cigar in my hands. All three cigars look good, with a bit of mottling on the dry, matte wrapper, along with some seam lines that stand out, particularly on the first cigar, but not as much on the second and third. All three look good with no visual issues, and all three are quite firm with just the slightest amount of give. The foot has an aroma that makes me think of what a really good root beer would smell like if it were dehydrated; there’s some wood, some pepper, some sweetness, a hint of vanilla, and a touch of herbalness. I could see it being a smell that someone might want to accent their home with via a potpourri or candle, as it’s quite enjoyable. The cold draws are smooth and have near ideal air flow, with a flavor that is woodier than the aroma but holds on to some of that root beer profile, though it tastes like a more mainstream, processed version.

The Micallef Green Robusto starts with a pretty familiar profile marked by some rich, thick earth along with some wood and black pepper, the latter of which takes the lead on retrohales and moves those two other sensations towards supporting notes. The second cigar gives me a bit of cocoa as well, kind of a thick hot chocolate sensation but one that doesn’t overpower the profile with sweetness. There’s also some smokiness and a bit of dry pretzel with a touch of salt on it, giving the first inch an impressive amount of complexity, though I’d be fine if the flavor wasn’t seemingly turning more robust as it progresses. The cigar gets a bit more fragrant as it approaches the one-inch mark, something I notice in the first cigar as it rests on the ashtray, emitting a thin wisp of smoke that’s just barely thick enough to see. The tail end of this section adds a really rich, smoky wood flavor, almost like a barbecue pit, but an even more concentrated experience. Flavor is a hearty medium-plus, body is medium-plus and strength is mild. Construction is great, though the ash tends to break off suddenly, meaning it ends up somewhere other than the ashtray.

A retrohale at the start of the Micallef Green Robusto’s second third provides a gentle but thorough tingling of my nostrils, an impressive sensation given how it feels like every nerve in my nose gets a gentle tingle of pepper. The core of the profile is still earthy, and there’s a decent bit of terroir that goes beyond just run-of-the-mill soil. I can’t quite place it, though for a moment or two, I get an accent of kalamata olives, an interesting flavor that I don’t often find, and it’s so unique I’m not even sure it’s the best descriptor. Some creaminess comes back into the flavor, and when I take my next retrohale to see if I pick it up there as well, I’m greeted with more pepper than before, easily the fullest the retrohales have been thus far. The third cigar is the fullest of the bunch, and that translates into the ambient smoke, which is peppery and irritating to my eyes. Damp, almost juicy woods take this section to its conclusion, though a little something about the profile changes in the final puffs, I can’t immediately identify just what, but the flavor gets a bit brighter and elicits more of a gentle tingle throughout my mouth. Flavor is medium-full, body is medium-plus and strength is medium-minus. Construction is great, though the ash continues to drop off unexpectedly.

The final third of the Micallef Green Robusto starts with the woodiness backing down its intensity and losing some of the dampness it showed just a little bit ago. Creaminess also diminishes a touch, leaving the pepper to drive much of the experience, with a drier earth as an accent. From there, a new, vibrant flavor shows up, reminding me of a dish of olives with some oil on them, a rather unique flavor that also adds some fragrance to the aroma. The final third is consistently livlier than the first two thirds, and while it’s not problematic in the first two cigars, the third has a bit more bite and elicits more reaction from my taste buds. That third cigar also has some nicotine strength, the only one of the three to do so. A good bit of wood and pepper close out the cigar, a good combination when the intensity is dialed in, which happens in two of the three cigars, while the third could benefit from some restraint. Flavor is medium-full to full, body is medium-plus, and strength is medium. Construction and combustion are both very good with few, if an,y issues across any of the three cigars.

Final Notes

• After holding onto its first clump of ash quite well, the first cigar let go of its second clump much earlier than I would have expected, and at a point where it kind of messed up my pacing for the photographs.
• The ash on the Micallef Green Robusto is generally good and builds up well, but it does seem to detach suddenly, and sometimes at lengths I wouldn’t expect. That said, the breaks are about as clean as any I’ve seen recently.
• The Micallef Green debuted at a Sept. 5 event at Florida-based retailer Smoke Inn.
• In June 2024, Brooks Whittington reviewed the Micallef Blue Toro.
• Only the third cigar gave me much in the way of nicotine strength, and while it wasn’t enough to warrant some white sugar, it was close.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• The company lists these as a 5 x 52 robusto. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review.
• Final smoking time was two hours and 10 minutes on average, though that number was skewed by the third cigar that took closer to two and a half hours. If smoking this at a decent pace, it shouldn’t be hard to smoke it under two hours.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the G-League’s Valley Suns. I was previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League, and Goodyear Ballpark, spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I’m a voiceover artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.