West Tampa is famous the world over for its handmade cigars, from Garcia y Vega to Cuesta-Rey. However, few West Tampa brands survived to the modern day. Rick Rodriguez, master blender and West Tampa native, launched the brand as a homage to his cigar city roots. West Tampa Tobacco Co.’s White line is exactly the kind of cigar that West Tampa would have rolled in its hayday. It is a modern Nicaraguan expression wrapped in West Tampa family lore. The West Tampa White blend tells the story of Cuban grandparents who found their way to the booming factories of West Tampa in the 1950’s. The West Tampa Tobacco Co.’s White Robusto is a 5 x 50 parejo with a Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Ecuadorian Habano binder and a three‑region Nicaraguan filler blend (Jalapa, Ometepe, and Pueblo Nuevo). It bills itself as mild‑to‑medium, but like most well‑conceived Nicaraguans it has enough cream, cedar, and pepper to keep an experienced palate interested for the full smoking experience of 45–60 minutes.
If you have read recent LM blogposts on classic cigar shop staples, such as the Brick House or the Diamond Crown, you know LM Cigars loves to anchor a cigar in a lineage. West Tampa may be a 2022 brand and not a 130‑year‑old Tampa institution, but it is consciously speaking the same language: Tampa as cigar city, the immigrant factory as meeting place, heritage as proof of quality. West Tampa is tapping into that same memory bank, just from the vantage point of a blender who grew up there.
The White Robusto is a handsome cigar. The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper is repeatedly described by consumers as “light pink,” and that is not marketing fluff — there is a distinct rosado blush to the leaf, with light oils and only fine veins. The band is large, white, and ornate, giving it a contemporary‑classic look similar to the polished white boxes of J.C. Newman Diamond Crown or Rocky Patel Emerald. The box itself (20 cigars) continues the family story on the inside of the lid, reminding you that this isn’t just a contract‑rolled Nicaraguan; it’s a personal project. Cold draw brings hay, clean cedar, a touch of dried fruit, and faint white pepper. Nothing harsh, nothing sloppy.
On toasting, the cigar opens in a way that will feel familiar to smokers who like Nicaraguan cigars built for balance rather than brute force — think Brick House Natural on the gentler days, or even Perla del Mar Shade. There’s a core of clean, sweet‑leaning tobacco wrapped in fresh‑cut cedar. Almost immediately a creamy texture arrives, helped along by the Ecuador Habano binder, and retrohales push a mix of white pepper and bakery spice. Jalapa shows up as gentle sweetness; Ometepe contributes a little earth and volcanic dust; Pueblo Nuevo adds the slightly more rustic, grain‑like nuance. Combustion is excellent out of the gate, with a near‑razor burn and solid ash segmentation.
The middle of the cigar is where the blend justifies its existence. The cream thickens, the cedar warms, and a light berry‑like brightness flickers in and out between puffs. Pepper moves from the tip of the tongue to the retrohale, making room for toasted bread, light roasted nuts, and a suggestion of baking cocoa. Body is squarely medium now, but the strength never outruns the flavor. Construction remains tight, the draw stays in the ideal zone, and smoke output is ample enough to feel “premium.” At this stage it pairs nicely with coffee or a soft wheat beer.
As the burn line enters the last inch and a half, the White Robusto gathers itself for a more savory finish. Cedar turns to oakier, toastier wood; the pepper returns with more insistence; and the cream dials back just enough to let the Nicaraguan filler speak in a darker register. You may pick up light leather, earth, and a return of that Pueblo Nuevo rusticity. Importantly, it does not go bitter if you respect the cadence. The cigar stays smokeable down to the final inch, which is more than can be said for a lot of sub‑$10 Nicaraguans on the market right now.
These cigars are produced in Estelí at Garmendia Cigar Co., the factory West Tampa partnered with for its launch. The results are impressive: straight burn, consistent bunching, clean caps, and uniform color across the box. The 5 x 50 format in particular seems to be the sweet spot for this blend, the ratio of wrapper to filler lets the Ecuadorian Habano glow without overwhelming the Nicaraguan core.
West Tampa Tobacco Co.’s White Robusto is an easy cigar to recommend. It is pretty without being gaudy, modern without forgetting where the industry came from, and flavorful without bullying the palate. This should be a slot in the everyday smoke rotation it for intermediate smokers who are already comfortable with Nicaraguan tobacco but want something dialed‑in for daytime, guests, or mixed. It’s also a nice teaching cigar: three countries’ worth of tobacco expression (Ecuador wrapper and binder, Nicaraguan core) shown in a controlled, 5 x 50 format. Keep one in the rotation, and keep telling the Tampa story while you smoke it.
