ADVentura Blackfin’s Parlay Robusto | halfwheel

For most of its time, ADV & McKay Cigar Co.’s ADVentura line has been about adventures, pirates and battles. But the newest line, Blackfin’s Parlay, is all about peace.

As the story of ADVentura goes, this will be the “peace” or parlay between the pirates of Barbarroja’s Invasion and Blue Eyed Jack’s Revenge. Unfortunately, the boxes for Blackfin’s Parlay won’t talk like the others, which played a small sound clip when the lid was opened.

The line debuted in 2025 as part of the Captain’s Collection, a sampler of the brand’s core lines in 5 x 52 belicosos, but between then and now, the blend was refined by Henderson Ventura. Since the original blend was never disclosed, just how it was tweaked is a mystery, but with the release of the line in three regular production sizes, we now know what the current blend contains: an Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed wrapper over a Dominican binder and filler.

The line comes in three vitolas, with the belicoso vitola seemingly retired, at least for now:

• ADVentura Blackfin’s Parlay Corona (6 x 44) — $13.80 (Box of 20, $276)
• ADVentura Blackfin’s Parlay Robusto (5 x 52) — $14.80 (Box of 20, $296)
• ADVentura Blackfin’s Parlay Toro (6 x 54) — $15.60 (Box of 20, $312)

The cigars are made at Tabacalera Mina del Rey, ADV & McKay’s factory in the Dominican Republic, and began shipping at the start of July.

• Cigar Reviewed: ADVentura Blackfin’s Parlay Robusto
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacalera Mina Del Rey
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Sumatra=seed)
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Length: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $14.80 (Box of 20, $296)
• Release Date: July 1, 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The ADVentura Blackfin’s Parlay Robusto comes in a familiar robusto shape, so there’s nothing particularly notable about the size, which leads me to look at the background detail of the band, as well as how its colors work with the color of the wrapper. At arm’s length, it almost reminds me of a kind of camouflage, but the band isn’t trying to hide, especially with its gold trim and center logo. I’d love to see the background image in larger detail, as it feels like a slice of a larger piece of art or other design. The first cigar has minimal veins, while the second has a more plentiful and noticeable network of thin veins. The third is the outlier of the bunch, with a variance in its wrapper color that could almost pass for a barber pole in the lower third, with some noticeable veins but not number of the second. None of the three wrappers have a lot of oiliness, but each has just a touch of texture. The first cigar has some give, the second is quite firm, and the third splits the difference. The aroma off the feet varies a bit: the first is soft and kind of bread-like, not a ton going on, but a bit of sweetness lingers in my nostrils and then I get some tingle. The second cigar is largely the same, but the sensation hits my nose with a coolness, kind of like walking under an air conditioning vent and noticing the difference in temperature. The first thing that comes to mind from the third cigar is cookie dough, likely what will become chocolate chip, but without those chips and some sneeze-inducing black pepper instead. The first cigar’s cold draw is looser than I prefer, with a minimal amount of resistance. Like the aroma, the flavor is mild, but it’s a touch drier. The second cigar’s draw is ideal, but the flavor has a bit of woody bite to it, a sensation that feels like a grappling hook being shot right out of the middle of the cigar and landing at the back of my throat. The rest of the sensation is marked by hearty bread, a little creaminess, and a light sprinkle of black pepper. The third cigar’s draw is great, with a dry, Cheerios-like flavor.

The first puffs of the first ADVentura Blackfin’s Parlay Robusto cause me to do a bit of a double-take, as they have a chalky and slightly mineral flavor that doesn’t sit well on my palate. The second cigar starts on a heartier, earthier note; not full-on robust but leaning that direction, while some chewy wheat bread softens the flavor. The third cigar is the best of the three, rounding off the rougher edges while keeping the wood, nuttiness, black pepper, a bit of toast and some of that dry Cheerios flavor. Retrohales are consistently peppery, starting bright before mellowing out a bit while also thickening up. Flavor is medium-plus, body is medium and strength is mild. Construction is very good, though there’s something about the second cigar that seems amiss; more on that in the notes.

At the start of the second third, some creaminess takes the reins, but there’s still plenty of accents from wood, nuttiness and a light, black pepper. There continues to be a bit of an edge to the flavor, and at this point, it manifests on the finish more than anywhere else, a sensation more prominent on the first and second cigars. The profile begins to put the flavors on a bit of a carousel, keeping the intensity the same but rotating which flavor is in the lead role and moving others to the background for a bit. I get the start of a slightly funky flavor on the center of my tongue toward the end of this section, a sensation that harkens back to the start of the first cigar. Flavor is medium-plus, body is medium and strength is medium-minus. Construction remains very good, and I have no issues with the draw, burn line, or smoke production.

The final third starts off without much of a change from the second third, a generally smooth transition that I have to be mindful of, otherwise I would just keep smoking without even noticing where the burn line is. There’s a touch less creaminess, as the flavor that falls back and becomes one of several contributors, along with more dry wood, black pepper, mixed nuts, and now a little bit of light earthiness, the latter of which feels like a new spin on an earlier component. At some point in all three cigars, something begins to change, and there’s an edge that develops and begins affecting both the flavor and the physical sensation, and I’m beginning to wonder if something is off with the tobacco, as behind that edge, the flavors still seem good and are trying to be harmonious, but can’t quite get there. The first cigar really struggles with this, leading me to note that “the final puffs are just not good,” while the second dodges the majority of the effect, and the third cigar falls somewhere in between, with the variance being a matter of pervasiveness. I’m also intrigued by how the combustion rate slows compared to the first third, leading me to wonder if the two things are related. Flavor finishes in the medium-plus to medium-full range, body is more consistently medium, and strength is medium-minus but not problematic. As I said, combustion has slowed but I don’t find the cigar going out, which is a relief. The draw, burn line, and smoke production all remain very good.

Final Notes

• In the second cigar, there were a few spots where I heard the tobacco burning. It spooked me a bit at first, but then I realized just what it was. I’m not sure what causes that in one cigar and not another.
• I believe I smoked the belicoso version of Blackfin’s Parlay from the sampler, though since we didn’t review it, I don’t have any notes on it.
• Regarding the other sizes, I haven’t had a chance to smoke them yet, but the corona would be the one I’d go to first.
• I really wish the boxes for Blackfin’s Parlay had the boxes with the prerecorded pirate sounds — it’s a novelty, but as a voiceover artist, it’s one I liked.
• Speaking of packaging, I really like the bands used on the ADVentura line. They’re consistent in design across lines, but also very distinct based on color. They’re also more done up than a really simple band, but not so overdone that I wonder how much they’re adding to the cost of my cigar.
• Nicotine strength was a non-factor for me when smoking the ADVentura Blackfin’s Parlay Robusto.
• 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 one hour and 50 minutes on average.
• Site sponsor Atlantic Cigar Co. carries the ADVentura Blackfin’s Parlay Robusto.

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 PA announcer for 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.