Blind Cigar Review: Foundry | Time Flies 550

Cigar Info

General Cigar showed off this new collaboration with boutique cigar maker AJ Fernandez at IPCPR 2016. Foundry | Time Flies was conceived by FTC’s Michael Giannini to encourage cigar lovers to live in the moment and experience the new and unique. This line is rolled from tobaccos grown in the Quilali region of Nicaragua. To bring to life his vision of a bold cigar that demands the smoker’s time and attention, Michael commissioned AJ Fernandez to create the blend and produce the cigars in his namesake factory in Esteli.

The full-flavored experience of Time Flies begins with a Habano 2000 Ecuador wrapper, and is bound and filled with Nicaraguan tobacco cultivated by AJ and his collective of Nicaraguan farmers. Available in four top-selling sizes with price points of less than $10, skull-themed packaging completes the appeal of this provocative new release from Foundry. The sixes are as follows: 550 – 5 x 50 at $7.50, 526 – 6 x 52 at $8.00, 54725 – 7.25 x 54 at $8.50, 606 — 6 x 60 at $9.00.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Habano 2000 Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez
Blender: AJ Fernandez & Michael Giannini
Number of reviewers: 4 – Adam B. (Bushboy) Steve (ThaGreatWazoo) Dave W. (mdwest) Jeff (ExpendableYouth)
Price: $7.50
Age: 5 Months
Release Date: July 2016
Contributed by: General Cigar

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 92

“Wow! What an incredibly toothy cigar. The wrapper feels like 220 grit sandpaper its so covered in tooth! There are a couple of prominent veins, and the cigar has a slight oily sheen to it. Pretty eye catching in appearance.” –Dave W. (mdwest)

Aroma: 91

“Very deep aromas are coming off of this cigar. Near the foot, I’m picking up grass, earth, and a little mustiness. The cold draw is rich with lots of hay, grain, and spice.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)

First Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Started with a kick of black pepper that faded quickly. Perfect draw despite being tightly rolled near the cut line. Sweetness of dried raisin with an oaky woody body. Very enjoyable to this point. No burn issues and the ash has stayed solid for a little over an inch at this point.” –Adam B. (Bushboy)

“The cigar has an initial hit of black pepper but it’s not super aggressive or overpowering to the other profile notes. It has a strong leather and wood note which are upfront flavors, and the pepper coats the tongue and just sits there. The retro-hale has an earthy-mineral profile to it with a surprising amount of pepper to it. The cigar has a bit of a loose draw to but it hasn’t affected the smoke output or caused any construction issues at this point, and it has a dense clingy ash.” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)

Second Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Sweet maduro goodness in the second third. Sweetness of dried fruit is still taking center stage, although a nutty cashew flavor is developing on the finish. Ash held on for an inch to start, and is now falling off in half inch chunks like clockwork. Burn has been perfect and the draw is effortless.” –Adam B. (Bushboy)

“The smoke continues to be mellow and smooth into the second third, and full of leathery goodness. No real change at all from the first to the second third, but that’s ok. Whats going on in the second third is creating an enjoyable experience.” –Dave W. (mdwest)

Final Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Picked up a little more punch moving into the final third, although not too powerful. Nice earthy flavors with a mildly sweet finish common in most maduro‘s. Enjoyable smoke overall. Would recommend to others and definitely try again, although maybe in a slightly smaller ring gauge if available to explore the flavors more.” –Adam B. (Bushboy)

“The final-third has continued to be substantially the same as the previous thirds, but has become a bit bitter at the end. The bitterness is probably due to the pepper and woodiness fighting it out, but it is still a very smokeable cigar. There is still a considerable amount of woodiness, pepper, and leather to the cigar. The construction has been really good aside for the slightly loose draw, but this hasn’t affected the smoke output at all.” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 93

“No problems whatsoever. Minimal effort. Maximum smoke.” –Adam B. (Bushboy)

Burn: 94

“The burn was really good and I had issues or touchups.” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)

Construction: 95

“The roller did an excellent job with this one. Both great to look at and a great performer. I don’t think construction could be improved on.” –Dave W. (mdwest)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 91

“I prefer a little more punch and flavor transition, however overall it was extremely enjoyable and would like to try this blend in a slightly smaller ring gauge to fully taste this wrapper.” –Adam B. (Bushboy)

“I enjoyed the profile and experience I got out of this cigar. The flavors paired well with each other and no real drop-off occurred throughout the smoke. An all around enjoyable smoke for most cigar smokers. You’ll achieve a few subtle nuances that will keep you involved and an overall appreciation for the blend more so than the build.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)

“Overall a really nice smoking experience. The only thing keeping this cigar from being a “smoke of the year” contender is a lack of complexity. The flavors it did produce were outstanding though and performance couldn’t be topped. I will definitely be looking to smoke this one again in the future, and depending on price would consider putting it into regular rotation.” –Dave W. (mdwest)

“The cigar was a little bit one dimensional and stayed really consistent throughout the entire smoking experience. This isn’t really a knock against the cigar since the flavor profile was a really good example of this kind of cigar. I probably wouldn’t grab a fiver of these to have in my box but I could see myself picking one of these up at my local brick and mortar every once in a while.” –Jeff (ExpendableYouth)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 66

 

Reviewer	Appearance	Aroma	1/3	2/3	3/3	Draw	Burn	Constr.	Overall Experience
Adam B.	92	92	90	90	92	95	95	97	92
Steve	88	90	90	90	90	90	88	88	90
Dave W.	90	90	90	90	90	95	95	95	95
Jeff	92	92	90	90	88	85	93	93	90

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Blind Cigar Review: Foundry | Time Flies 550