Warped El Oso Blanco Papa – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

The original Warped El Oso came out in 2014, and was the first new cigar from the company in 3 years. El Oso translates in Spanish to “The Bear.” That blend used an Ecuadorian habano oscuro wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and filler from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Later that year, the company released the La Colmena which was blended with an Ecuadorian DeFlorada wrapper, dual Ecuadorian binders, and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. Then, in 2021, the company decided to combine aspects of each of those blends into a new cigar, El Oso Blanco. The new cigar uses the Ecuadorian DeFlorada wrapper from the La Colmena, while incorporating the Ecuadorian binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos found in the original El Oso blend.

In a way, this cigar is the opposite of their “Black Honey” cigar. That blend took the binder and filler from the La Colmena and wrapper it in the wrapper used in the El Oso. Only 600 boxes 20 were made. It comes in only one size, a 6 x 48 toro called “Papa.” El Oso Blanco are rolled at the El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami. Each cigar sells for $18.00.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 48
Country of Origin: U.S.A.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian DeFlorada
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Factory: El Titan de Bronze
Blender: Kyle Gellis
Number of reviewers: 4 – Mickey T. (irratebass) Kevin A. (Kevin A.) John A. (Bostoneo) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Price: $18.00
Age: 2 Months
Release Date: November 2021
Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff

Initial Impressions – Warped El Oso Blanco Papa

Appearance: 86

“This toro-sized cigar is presented wearing a lighter wrapper that is silky smooth to touch. There is one very prominent vein or stem running the entire length of the cigar in a perfectly straight line…easily visible and easily felt under the wrapper leaf. There appears to be a triple cap that is mostly evenly applied.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

Aroma: 90

“A slightly tight cold draw reveals flavors of leather, cookie dough, and light floral notes. On the nose are medium-bodied notes of tobacco, spiced cream, and light sawdust.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

First Third

Flavor: 86
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“First few puffs bring out hints of dry cedar, hay, and citrus, with some walnut shell and white pepper on the finish. As I take a few more puffs on the cigar I swear I get a note similar to white chocolate which I have never picked up in a cigar, but it is there and sits on the finish on the tongue and in the nostrils. Weird but pleasant note. The cigar is mild to medium in strength at this point and I would say medium in body/complexity. Burn and draw are both solid and there is quite a bit of smoke output.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)

“The first puffs of this cigar are spot on with what I expected based upon the aroma…white pepper with cayenne notes and a lingering creamy sweetness on the finish. Through the nose the smoke is smooth with a hint of the white pepper…it really invites repeated retrohaling.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

Second Third

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

“Moving into the second third, creamy peanut butter notes alongside a leathery floral sweetness blooms into action. As this third progress, it only becomes sweeter, with balance, with not much else changing for the rest of this third, just a nice steady smoke.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

“Citrus, floral, and cedar is the profile leading into the middle part of the cigar. The retrohale still has the white pepper but it is starting to creep up in intensity. Burn and draw continue to perform well. As the cigar continues, a sweetness develops in the finish, which really amplifies the citrus component of the profile. This cigar is developing nicely and has been a fun experience so far.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)

Final Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Getting into the ending part of the cigar, the spice of the retrohale now is more of a red pepper zing, with a little bit of anise on the finish. The main notes in the cigar are still citrus, with a small hint of stonefruit. The peanut brittle sweetness is still in there as well and there is a lingering red pepper note sitting heavily on the tongue. The last few puffs of the cigar bring a red hots cinnamon note into the equation, making this an extremely fun smoking experience. Burn and draw have been close to perfect throughout and I am sad to see the cigar end.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)

“The final portion of this cigar is really hitting its stride as a mild to medium cigar. The creamy flavors are very nice and a nutmeg note has developed which matches the initial wrapper aroma. Through the nose, the pepper has never left but it’s serving to really bring another element to the experience. I think it’s well played.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

Overall Impressions – Warped El Oso Blanco Papa

Draw: 91

“I had no issues with the draw. I v-cut it and it gave me plenty of smoke.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

Burn: 91

“Same as the draw. Straight and true, never needing a touch-up or even getting a wobble.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)

Construction: 89

“Construction was fair. I was afraid that the wrapper would be too brittle, but this wasn’t the case at all. There was plenty of ash that fell on me and my table a lot lol. The cigar performed well and didn’t get hot on me.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 89

“Overall this was a fair smoke. Nothing earth-shattering, but there were enough flavors of coffee, cream, hay, grass, and mushroom to keep me invested. I would smoke this again, and maybe even grab a fiver.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

“This was a very fun experience for me. I smoked it in the middle of the day on a very clean palate and was very pleasantly surprised. This is a very mild-mannered cigar, and with the profile of it, I find myself craving a nice Anejo tequila to pair with it the next time I smoke it. With the citrus and sweetness present in the cigar, I feel this would be an epic pairing. This has been a very unique smoking experience for me and I am really looking forward to finding out what it is so I can get more!” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)

“Overall, this was an OK cigar that should satisfy those who like earthy and mineral notes with some creamy finishes. With a few issues such as the burn being a bit wavy at times and the draw being slightly too constricted preventing this cigar from fully expressing its flavors. I am torn because there were good parts and not so great parts to this sample… another go would be required for a final verdict.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

“This mild to medium cigar really nailed it for me tonight. I very much enjoyed the flavors and particularly loved the burn performance and draw. The still California evening was perfect for smoke rings and the easy draw gave me clouds of smoke to work with and have some real fun. If I’m smoking a mild cigar I love it to have a creamy profile and I really like the contrast of a peppery retrohale. This cigar checked all of those points for me. I highly recommend this for mild cigar lovers, or for folks wanting a change of pace.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 77

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Warped El Oso Blanco Papa – Blind Cigar Review