Rojas Cigars is a boutique line of cigars that is based in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded by Noel Rojas, an immigrant from Cuba, and is famous for its unique cigar line named “street tacos”. The cigar line includes the always delicious barbacoa, the carnitas, and the recently introduced al pastor cigar. The barbacoa and carnitas cigars are two of The Cigar Society’s most popular cigars. Most people purchase the name and the logo, then they become repeat buyers because of the flavor of these cigars. The Cinco de Mayo falls into the same category.
I was introduced to this cigar line by way of the barbacoa cigar a couple of years ago. As a lover of barbacoa tacos and cigars, I knew I had to try this cigar based on the name alone. Based on that experience, I started to try other Rojas blends, eventually trying The Cinco de Mayo in 2024. The 2024 and 2025 versions were fantastic, but the 2026 version is different than previous years. It has a unique oilier feel. It’s torta (thicker), leche quemada (creamier), and Big Red (sweeter).
I poured myself a decent amount of Tierra-Noble Tequila Blanco to sip on. I grabbed my cigar punch and lit the cigar, twisting it to make sure it was well lit. On my first deep draw, I immediately noticed an oilier feel to the wrapper. Typically, the oilier anything in life isn’t something you want, but on a cigar, it adds a ton of character and more flavor to your overall experience. After that, I started to taste bold brown sugar, which offsets some other notes of woodiness. I expected to taste a bit of spice or some punch, but I was surprised by its absence. To fit my mood, I grabbed the nearest sombrero I could find.
The first half of this cigar was a constant and consistent reminder of the powerful flavors that reside in it. During this time, I was met with a light berry, cedar, and sweet flavor that added more to the creaminess of the whole cigar. It was almost as good as a great piece of tres leche cake, but not soggy. At this point, I was on the lookout for a serape (yes, I do own one). Because everyone knows, a sombrero without a serape is like Pancho Villa without Emiliano Zapata. It doesn’t sound or look right to have one without the other.
By the time I got to the second half of this cigar and second generous pour of tequila, I was almost as lit as my cigar and was on my second round of backyard Mariachi Karaoke, gringo style. I was singing broken Tex-Mex Spanglish with a Texas drawl, while doing a duet of “Volver, Volver” with Vicente Fernández full blast on the Turtlebox. Mexican-American Idol, here I come! The second half started to feel “thicker”, like a “torta” with the addition of black pepper spiciness and a big presence of bold, earthy flavors. Then the caramelized brown sugar (no, not my wife) started to waft back onto my palette.
As I neared the end of the cigar, venturing into the bottom half of the tequila bottle, I tried to focus on all of the great qualities of the Cinco de Mayo 2026 version. Instead, I almost got caught up in my feelings going back and forth between Selena’s “Tu Solo Tu” y George Strait’s amazing twangy version of “El Rey”. Yet, I kept it together in between accordion screams to relish in the smoothness, sweetness, complexity, and balance of a cigar that is solid and would brighten up any humidor with its bright blue band.
I do have to say that I do have one regret with this cigar, and that is the fact that I failed to pair it with the champagne and caviar of South Texas, two barbacoa tacos, and a Big Red.
VIVA CIGARS POR VIDA, MI AMIGOS!!!!
Wrapper – Ecuadorian Habano
Binder – Mexican San Andrés
Filler – Jalapa/Connecticut Broadleaf
Size – 6×54 Toro
Pairs well with :
Margarita – frozen or rocks, salt – sugar or tajin.
Tequila – a great sipping tequila, not a “shooter”.
Beer – Mexican (any) with a squeeze or two of lime.
Horchata or Agua Fresca – yes, any and all.
Food – chips and queso, birria, and tres leche cake.
More from the TKG cellar: Rojas proves that great cigars don’t have to come from the Caribbean. For another review worth adding to the list, see our take on The Deadwood Sweet Jane by Drew Estate. And to keep it Texas all the way through, Texas Whiskey has your pour covered.
