The QuickDraw Connecticut blend is made to complement the QuickDraw Ecuadorian Dark Habano and QuickDraw Pennsylvania Broadleaf blends, and was blended to provide a unique balance of body, strength and flavor not found in traditional cigars with Connecticut wrappers. The blend is: Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Binder: Ometepe (Nicaraguan) Filler: Esteli, Condega (Nicaraguan) and is available in the following vitolas: Petit Corona: 4.5×44 Short Panatela: 5.5×40
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The QuickDraw Connecticut 4.5×44 petit coronas will be packaged in 50 count boxes and 25 count bundles and the 5.5×40 short panatelas will be packaged in 25 count boxes and 25 count bundles. The short panatela is a new vitola for Southern Draw Cigars and will likely be added to the entire QuickDraw line of cigars in 2016. Both of these new cigars join a line that was blended specifically for consumers that desire an affordable hand-crafted cigar that takes about a half an hour to smoke and costs between $5.00 – $6.00.
Each cigar begins with a pigtail cap that can either be twisted off or cut, and the Southern Draw Cigars’ standard closed foot construction. The Company recommends that if the cap is cut, then it is best to make a straight cut directly at the base of the pigtail.
“The QuickDraw Connecticut blend was heavily influenced by our appreciation for Café Cubano, colada and cafecito, a blend offering the strength of dark roast espresso, the sweetness of hydrolyzed sugar and the light creaminess of the espumita or crema that sits atop the coffees. The connoisseur size vitolas were selected to further enhance the coffee experience,” commented Robert Holt – Founder of Southern Draw Cigars. “The blend should be considered a celebration of the morning and mid-day cultural and social coffee-related activity that is prominent among most all Cuban and Latin Americans, many of whom have cultivated this fabulous cigar industry and whose knowledge and support has been a catalyst for Southern Draw Cigars’ entrance into the industry. It is our sincere hope that the QuickDraw Connecticut blend will be enjoyed by die hard lovers of Connecticut wrapped cigars as well as those that typically reach for something a little bolder or more flavorful.” said Holt.
Southern Draw Cigars has released this blend to its retail partners and consumers through a series of events and cigar socials between April and June 2016, releasing a total of 50,000 cigars per vitola in 2016.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Petite Corona
Length: 4.5″
Ring Gauge: 44
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua (Ometepe)
Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí & Condega)
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars
Blender: Robert Holt
Number of reviewers: 5 – Jeff (ExpendableYouth) Alan (Eulogy) Eric (smalls29) Derek (StogieNinja) Ryan (Youngryan216)
Price: $5.00
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: April 2016
Contributed by: Southern Draw Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 94
“The cigar has a creamy brown wrapper with tight wrap lines. The foot is wrapped at the bottom and there is a kind of modified pig-tail at the cap.” -Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
Aroma: 87
“There’s a slight sweetness to the pre-draw, but not much scent on the wrapper and or foot.” -Alan (Eulogy)
First Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“There’s a slight sweetness on the initial draw that fades very quickly letting a tobacco and cedar finish fight for dominance. I do notice that there is a slight pepper tickle between the puffs, but it is by no means a super noticeable.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“This cigar toasts easily and begins with some nutty, peppery, and cream notes. The pepper subsides after a half inch or so, and the cream really starts to kick in. Once the blend settles in, the cream notes overtake the profile in the best way. There is some cedar present on the finish, but the retrohale is pillowy like the foam on a fresh latte.” -Ryan (Youngryan216)
“At the start of the second third, a nice balance is found. Nuts and a little wood appear, and help to provide a balance to the sweet, syrupy pineapple juice. Pepper has faded, but the caramel is still there. The finish is a little bitter and a little sour, particularly towards the end of the middle third.” -Derek (StogieNinja)
Wow. This is one of the best morning coffee smokes I have ever had. I normally review with water only, but something about this smoke’s beautiful Connecticut wrapper told me to have a cup ready. This cigar is offering up huge, chewy notes of cream and cedar with a slight nuttiness in this portion. I find myself retrohaling over and over, because of the smoothness, with no sting.” -Ryan (Youngryan216)
“Into the final third, the syrupy mouthfeel is somewhat overwhelming. The finish is a touch bitter, and has some sourness to it. There’s a strong caramel note, baking spices and wood in the background, and the pepper is a very soft white pepper note. There’s an herbal or vegetal bitterness underlying the entire profile at this point, so I let it go.” -Derek (StogieNinja)
“The blend has not changed much since the first inch, but it is absolutely money for what it was made to be. I am guessing this was intended to be a quick, Connecticut smoke for those that prefer a smaller ring gauge. If that’s true, the blender hit the nail on the head. In the final third, the blend is at its least creamy, however, the retrohale is surprisingly cool and smooth.” -Ryan (Youngryan216)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 92
“A nice easy draw. Not perfect but nice.” -Eric (smalls29)
Burn: 93
“slightly wavy throughout, but it never required any touch-ups.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Construction: 89
“Appears to have been well constructed. An even pack throughout, no hard spots or plugs, and burned relatively evenly” -Derek (StogieNinja)
“Even though the end was a bit sour and bitter, it was an enjoyable cigar. I really enjoyed the sweet and sour/sweet tart flavors. They started off moving from a sweet flavor and wonderful aroma to a nice tart, sour flavor that had peppers come in the second third or so. Overall very good. It would pair very well with a variety of drinks. I happened to have a rum and coke with this and wonder if that influenced the flavors. I could buy a box of these for an afternoon smoke.” -Eric (smalls29)
“The first two-thirds of the cigar were pretty nice and had good flavors and a lot of depth for what I believe was a short-filler cigar. Depending on price I would pick up a couple for a short smoke.” -Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
“The first two thirds of the cigar were fairly enjoyable, but it took a steep decline after the halfway point; becoming very bitter. This is one of the better short filler cigars that I have smoked, but the wispy ash and quick smoke is common for all short fillers.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“I struggled with whether to give this an overall “fair” rating or “subpar.” I’m going to go with “fair” as I think part of my dislike may have been the profile not being in my wheelhouse. I’m pretty certain there’s some sumatra in the blend, which I dislike. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt there, but overall it was not a great experience, nor one that I would seek again. Even if you’re a fan of that syrupy mouthfeel, there are better options out there.” -Derek (StogieNinja)
“This cigar really took me by surprise. Smaller Connecticut wrapped cigars tend to be more harsh, in my experience. However, that was not the case with this smoke. The cigar was never over medium strength, but there was the slightest amount of strength that kept things interesting. I can’t express enough how present the cream was in this cigar. I would liken it to latte foam, but the sweetness was kept at a minimum and really balanced the experience. The blend of cedar, cream and nuts was perfect for a first smoke of the day. I would buy a box of these on sight.” -Ryan (Youngryan216)
Cigar Info
Second Third
